New Light
by Spacecore6676
Summary: When Chell finds Wheatley as a human, she decides to give him another chance. But GLaDOS wants her star test subject back, and it's up to Wheatley to be the world's most stupid hero. WARNING - contains Chelley
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - The Reappearance**

**Chell POV **– The walls around me shuddered and shook. Fear gripped me, though I didn't show it. I would hate for Her to get any satisfaction from my reactions. I shot a blue portal on the slanted wall behind me, just as the floor collapsed and I fell towards my doom. I had only just shot the corresponding orange portal at my feet as I crashed through and landed by the open exit. I swiftly strode into the elevator, my head held high whilst GLaDOS tried her best to make me react to her cruel taunts.

" It says so right on your personnel file: unlikable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikable loner, who's passing shall not be mourned. Shall NOT be mourned. That's exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says you're adopted, so that's funny too," She rambled on, ripping me deeply inside, however on my surface I was determined and untouchable.

The elevator arrived on the next floor, and I found myself in a large room full of turrets behind glass. Companion Cube sat forlornly in the corner. I knew what I had to do. I almost felt sorry for the cube as I used it as a shield to stop the turrets filling me with bullets, even though it obviously can't feel pain. Blaming the isolated and cruel life I have in Aperture, ever since that fateful 'Bring Your Daughter To Work Day', I carried on anyway. I faced the last turret now, and shifted my wrist slightly to support the heavy cube.

"I see you," responded the turret. The booming sound of bullets hitting the cube, its insides echoing eerily, the gasp I let out as a large bullet skimmed across my right wrist, cutting it open, bombarded my ears in an instant. I threw the cube at the turret, trying to cover my open wrist and stem the bleeding. The pain I felt hit me again and again, unrelenting and getting worse with every stab. I desperately hung onto my sanity, forcing myself to not let on to GLaDOS I was in pain. But She wasn't stupid.

"That was your fault. You should not have used your friend as a shield against bullets, you cruel person. How could you?"

A ragged scream escaped my mouth and GLaDOS laughed and laughed and laughed…

Screaming and sweating, I awoke with a start. Clean pale blue sheets clung to my ankles like barnacles, and the pillows were on the shiny wooden floor. My turquoise walls spun for a minute, and I clung to the mattress like I was on an upside-down roller coaster with no restraints. I couldn't bear to have any white walls or furniture in my room, it reminded me of the pale white facility. Aperture. I quietly composed myself, feeling more alone than ever. Nobody I could talk to about my past, like I could if Wheatley was here. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I missed Wheatley. I had known it unconsciously since the moment GLaDOS whacked him out of my grasp, and he cried out "Grab me grab me grab me!" In that moment, he was my best friend again. A friend in need. A friend who I betrayed as soon as he left my usually iron grip.

"I guess we're even now." I muttered sadly.

I heaved myself out of bed, seeing my Companion Cube sitting in the corner. It had been three years since that fateful day when I left Aperture, not from escaping with Wheatley as planned, but from being told to leave by GLaDOS. Maybe I was unlikable, and She was right all along. The determined side of my brain squawked in protest. If I was unlikable, then how come all my new work friends were so nice to me? As soon as GLaDOS had sent me into the big wide world, with a weighted Companion Cube (a little damaged from the incinerator) and a decent amount of money she'd kindly hidden inside it, I'd stumbled through the wheat field and onto the outskirts of a small town called Erandon.

It wasn't too long till I managed to get into the swing of normal human life. I bought a small lone house on the town border, and trained to become a nursery assistant. Luckily, there was a nursery a few streets away that desperately needed staff, and were more than happy to employ me. I made friends with the other nursery assistants, especially a woman called Melanie because she never asked any awkward questions like 'where are you from?' or 'what have you done in the last few years?' She kept to herself, and was happy to be my friend rather than my questioner. The children all seemed to like me, and I liked them too. They were energetic and never managed to bore me. They also kept me on my feet, one of the few Aperture traits I decided to keep. I was as happy as an ex-test subject with a best friend floating around in space could be.

Since work started in an hour, I pulled my straight brown hair into my signature ponytail, and pulled on some plain jeans and a gray t-shirt. I didn't bother with makeup, so getting ready didn't take long. I slid into my flat black shoes and pulled on my small purse containing my mobile. It was nothing special, just there for when I needed to call work or for an emergency.

I stepped outside, locking my front door and breathing in the fresh morning air. Bees buzzed around the flower patch I planted a year ago, and the sky was a crisp blue covered in mini soft clouds, white as snow. I didn't own a car, since I don't know how to drive, and I've never considered learning. To me it just didn't seem that important when the furthest I ever go is the supermarket fifteen minutes away. Walking briskly in the cool spring air, I relished the beautiful morning. Erandon Nursery was in my full vision now; it's red brick walls and steep cement roof, the tall cherry wood door and the stranger hovering by the doorway…

"Wait," I muttered curiously to myself. "I've never seen him before in my life. We're not expecting any new arrivals today. I wonder who he is?"

The stranger was abnormally tall, at least 6 and a half feet. His floppy blond hair sat on his head, perching on his neat eyebrows and ears. He wore glasses complete with thick lenses, a white shirt and black trousers. However he wore trainers with this combination, creating one of the strangest looking men I have ever seen. He gave me a lopsided grin as I approached, looking hopeful, for a reason I couldn't pinpoint. This was when I noticed his bright blue eyes, the bluest eyes I've ever seen! As I passed I nodded, then stopped since he decided to open his mouth to speak.

"Hey buddy! I'm new here, and I was wonderin' if you could, you know… err… show me how things work in this place?" questioned a somehow familiar, obviously fake American accent. I nodded, not trusting this man enough to talk to him. I could talk, unlike Wheatley and GLaDOS thought, but I was naturally quiet anyway and refused to talk to anyone I wasn't a friend with.

"I'm called… err… errm…" the stranger stuttered, as if he couldn't remember his name. Or was struggling to come up with a fake one. Suspicion filled me. I knew someone in pain couldn't fake an accent properly, and he did seem familiar, so I 'accidentally' stomped on the man's large foot.

"Oww! You didn't have to attack me luv! I didn't do anything! Oww! Bloody humans they have to feel so much pain, don't they!" said an annoyed British accent. I violently shook my head in denial. It couldn't be! But the blue eyes, the lopsided grin, the accent, I was positive I knew him. It was Wheatley.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - The Apology**

Wheatley POV – I stared in shock, rubbing my sore foot, as my friend's jaw dropped. She seemed to recognize me, so there goes another plan of mine, another failure. Might just as well call my plans failures instead I thought mournfully. I expected her to hit me, or to kill me, or to simply give me a cold stare and hear me out. I did not expect the brave, determined woman to look at me with pure fear, and run away. Yes, run away. As if she saw me as a monster. _What did you expect? You tried to kill her, you really thought she was going to hug you and beg to be friends again? You ARE a monster Wheatley! _My brain retorted snappily.

After a moment of staring after my best friend forlornly, I decided to put these new gangly human legs to use, and sprinted after her. She was fast, but surprisingly, I was a tad faster. I was just a measly two paces behind her now, and panting.

"Wait! Please… please wait! Don't run away… I… only just… found you!" I gasped between huge lungfuls of air. She didn't stop, so I had to do something unforgivable. My long arm stretched out to her, and grabbed her shirt. She jerked in my grasp, as the impact of her running nearly dislocated her shoulder, and she flew over backwards from the unexpected assault. She landed with a harsh bump, and looked up at me with hurt eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" I wailed. "But you wouldn't stop and I needed to talk to you, because I couldn't find you then just let you run away, and I didn't mean to scare you so much! And… and I had to say what I've been dying to tell you since I was yanked out of Her body, and the corrupt version of me, the monster, was murdered, like… well like I think you intended. I… I just wanted to say I'm sincerely sorry for being bossy, and mean and a monster, genuinely sorry… and I understand you don't want to forgive me but… well you'll always be a best friend to me, even if you don't feel the same way. So I'm sorry."

My friend stared up at me, with a tiny hint of apprehension in her eyes. I shifted nervously from foot to foot, petrified of how she might respond. I truly had no idea what to expect. For the first time in my life, I was silent, I didn't try to make excuses or ramble on about subjects with no importance just for the hell of it. Putting all that time in Aperture reading her expressions to understand her to good use, I simply gazed at her thoughtfully. She held the same look she did when she faced a new test. My friend was thinking, very hard, about what to do next.

"Well, you're just sitting on the floor, so err… let me help you up," I held out my new, human hand towards her. She didn't take it though, and simply stood up without my help. Her brows furrowed with anger as she shoved me towards her house, which was only a few meters away now. I followed her to the door as she unlocked it and held it open for me.

"What a lovely house you have here," I complimented her in the hope of getting into her good books again. "It's very… homely… and… pretty." I noticed a tiny key ring on the zip of her purse, which she now lay down on her cupboard. It said 'Chell' on it. I wondered what it was, it sounded like a name or a company.

"That's it!" I exclaimed happily. "Your name, its Chell isn't it?" Chell nodded with a slight smile on her face. A very faint smile, but a smile nonetheless. I mentally ticked it as an improvement of our complicated relationship. Chell beckoned for me to sit on the sofa, and as I did she carefully positioned herself on the floor opposite me.

"Oh no, you can sit next to me if you want! I don't bite!" I explained, hoping she wouldn't think that I could well bite. _You did try to murder her you moron! _Cried my thoughts. Chell shook her head firmly, and I left the subject alone. I wondered what she wanted.

"So… are we friends?" I questioned hopefully. She shrugged, and I took this as a not yet. "If we're not friends yet, then what do you want from me? Oh god… you don't want, you know revenge do you?" I shuddered. A smile and a shake of her head confirmed I wasn't on her hit list, luckily. However she did give me a questioning look, and pointed to me. She wanted to know how I became human, and how I got out of space.

"It's a long story though," I warned. Chell motioned for me to go ahead.

"Well, I was just casually moping in space, and that bloody space core kept yelling on about space. It was really annoying me, and I was just about to shout at him for the fourth time that day when he said something that stopped me dead in my tracks, well not literally dead but just stopped. He said 'Wanna go to Earth. Wanna go home, wanna go home. Don't like space. It's too big. Too big. Wanna go to Earth.' Then I realized, I needed to get us back to Earth. It was pointless me just floating around wishing I could take it all back. I had to get down there, and be brave like you, and apologize. I figured you'd be in Aperture, with Her testing you. I didn't know you'd escaped!"

"I was just thinking, for days and days of a way to get back to Earth. Then it hit me! All Aperture technology has a transmitter device built in so we can contact each other if need be. Including myself, and obviously Her. But then I thought: hey, there probably isn't any signal in Space. So I waited some more, until we arrived at the point in our orbit of the moon where I knew there was a HUGE satellite, and I connected into its port, and tadah! I had all the signal in the world, not literally of course, because She had some too, and I called her transmitter up using the little Aperture address book built inside me, and I heard a little ringing tone, and she answered! I was pretty chuffed actually, you know 'cause she hated me and everything."

"She said 'oh, it's _you_.' Then I explained how I really needed her to send out a little rescue mission, and I thought of the perfect reason! I told her that I was having a whale of a time in space, and I thought I should just let Her know that the revenge isn't working. Guess what? She only went and fell for it! Went ballistic! Started yelling at some test subject to put a portal on the moon and come get me! Obviously She was a little more careful with the gravity, and made sure the correct portal was in an empty room and the test subject had a retriever cord attached before a portal was sent to the moon, but She did a very good job of rescuing me! I half expected you to show up and pull me back again, but a pair of bloody robots appeared! Turned out, She'd only gone and replaced the human test subjects with two testing robots! My plan all went down the drain then! I thought you were dead! I was really upset and also sort of scared about what She was going to do to me, so when she took me to her chamber I immediately began making a deal with her.

"How about this GLaDOS. You can do whatever you want to me that doesn't mess with my memories or kill me, and then you let me go up to the surface and be free? I asked her. Was shocked when she agreed, apparently she wanted to test out her new invention on me. Didn't have a clue what it was, and apparently she thought it would ruin my life when actually it helped me so much! At first I was really scared, especially when she wired me up to some machine. But I just thought of you, and it was bearable. She laughed like a maniac and pressed some button, and it felt like a thousand turrets were shooting me repeatedly at once, however again, I thought of your bravery and kept strong. Eventually the pain knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was a bloody human."

"I had legs, and arms and two optics instead of one. And you never know what, I could smell stuff! Realized how deadly Aperture smelt, and felt sorry for all the humans. She was almost nice to me, explaining how humans work, no offence but it's a lot of work isn't it? Having to eat three times a day and 'go to the toilet' just to get rid of the food you just spent time eating? Pointless! Mad! Also, I have to change my clothes everyday, and wash them! I mean, why do humans wear clothes? Robots don't. Animals don't. It's weird. And…" I lowered my voice to a hushed whisper. "I have this strange thing between my legs, and She said it's how humans make their children but –" Chell stopped me talking by running across the room and putting her hand over my mouth. I was really confused by her reaction, and forgot what I was talking about. Pushing her hand away, I continued carefully, watching her every move. "Anyway, so She surprisingly kept to her word and let me free! I was shocked out of my skin, at least I think that's the correct human metaphor…"

"Walked for hours through this tall yellow grass stuff, and eventually found my way here! Bought an apartment opposite the… what's it called? Oh yeah, opposite the nursery, and one day peeked out of my window and saw you! Couldn't believe my eyes! After a good week or so, I managed to get the hang of human behaviour and decided to try and make friends with you… as a different person. Didn't think it through though, 'cause I hadn't come up with a name. Was stumped! So that's what happened really, and here we are!" Chell was smiling faintly again, probably due to my stupidity. I tried out my lopsided grin again. No response.

"You don't want to be friends do you?" I questioned, a tear stinging my eye. Chell looked confused at my comment. Then she did something I never knew she could do. Chell said, "Wheatley, I _want_ to be friends again. I _trust _you."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN/ … Thank you thank you thank you to the people who have already favourited/subscribed to my story =) it means a lot to me. So, chapter 3 now. Would love it if you could review my story so I know if I need to improve anything at all, or if there is anything you like/dislike about my writing. It would be highly appreciated =) and again: THANK YOU!**

**Chapter 3 – Friends Again?**

**Chell POV **– I tried to measure Wheatley's expressions, like he does mine, but I relied too much on his constant rambling to tell me what was whirring around in that little brain of his. All I could do was wait, whilst he opened and closed his mouth like a demented goldfish. Eventually, he began to talk again, letting out a constant stream of words (as always).

"Wow, err… wow you don't have, you know, brain damage… after all… so that's very good. But unexpected, really unexpected. You could have talked to me a little earlier, so that I knew you were alive down in the facility or such, and could have saved me the trouble of having to learn human expressions… or rather your expressions. However, never mind, never mind… at least you can talk, should have congratulated you earlier really, but I didn't so… Well congratulations on not being a mute, although for someone who can talk you don't talk very much. How do you manage not talking?" He commented earnestly, whilst scratching his head in a way that made him look like a confused monkey. I couldn't help but smile.

"Wheatley, sometimes one gesture sums up a thousand words," I explained carefully, because sometimes my newly found voice cracked halfway through a sentence. This time, it came out in a clear, singsong voice all the way through.

Wheatley thought about this for a moment, and then waved at me."How many words is that worth?" he questioned me.

"A few…" I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh. So I wasn't about to get you to say a thousand words? Darn it, thought I'd be able to trick you into saying a thousand words rather than, well two," Wheatley nodded slowly, trying to look clever and wise. I chuckled softly.

"It nearly worked Wheatley, and it was a very clever plan," I said, trying to make him feel less like a moron and more like a normal core. Or a human being. Unlike his plan, mine actually worked, and I was rewarded with another huge, lopsided grin… and a _hug._

Wheatley grabbed me in his long arms and pulled me into a massive bear hug. I may trust him again, but wasn't ready for physical contact from essentially, a murderer. I shoved him in his chest, hard, and he stumbled backwards and toppled over the sofa. Peering carefully over the top of the sofa with shock in his eyes, he cried, "Ow! What was that for luv? I know I tried to kill you in the past, but you said you didn't want revenge, so why do you keep randomly attacking me? And I am sorry about everything I've ever done that's hurt you, so please stop! I was only trying to make you happy, since you said a gesture is like a thousand words so I thought a hug would sum up my feelings pretty well… and less awkwardly for sure."

"Not ready for contact yet," I explained, my mouth in a grim line across my face.

"Oh, well could have just told me that luv…" Wheatley was shifting from foot to foot nervously now that he had emerged from behind the sofa to stand a wary meter or so away from me. "So… err… I was wondering if… you don't have to but… did you want to… to hang out with me today?"

A smile managed to seep across my face, and I nodded, reasonably cheerful. Wheatley took this as a signal to close the gap between us, and stand in front of me again. I felt like mouse standing before a giraffe, since I was more than a foot shorter than this gangly giant that is Wheatley_. I hope his size won't corrupt him with power again. _I smirked at this thought. He cocked his head on one side like a confused dog at my expression, turning my smirk into a full smile. It was strange; Wheatley had always been the only one who could make me smile. I never smiled at anyone else, unless it was forced. That's why I had friends like Melanie, who didn't take my expressions (or lack of) to heart.

"So… err… what do you want to do?" he questioned with a small gleam in his bright blue eyes. I shrugged and pointed to him, and Wheatley understood immediately.

"You… you want me to pick?" he stammered. "I must admit I don't know much what human's like doing…" I held my finger out to silence him. My voice better not crack now. I stood on my tiptoes and beckoned for him to come closer. He had to bend over double to make his head level with mine. I cupped my hands around his ear slowly and whispered, "Surprise me."

**AN/ … Sorry this was a short chapter; I didn't have much time to write this morning. Not sure when chapter 4 will be up though unfortunately, I will try my best to get it up this evening but don't bet on it. If not, you may have to wait till the weekend =( remember to review, I'd love to hear where you'd like Wheatley to take Chell, because I'm not too sure where you'd all like them to bond. Thank you for reading my fanfic, I'm glad my first one is coming along quite nicely =P**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN/ ... This chapter is quite long, but I hope you Chelley lovers out there will adore it! Just like to say thank you to Assozat for coming up with the idea that Wheatley should take Chell to the beach =) hope you enjoy the chapter! And thank you again for favouriting/subscribing/reviewing my story, all reviews will be taken into consideration when editing/writing chapters =D**

**Chapter 4 - The Beach**

**Wheatly POV **- I had the perfect idea for where to take Chell. I remembered a picture I'd seen of a beach, with tiny yellow rocks called sand covering it. Little children and adults alike were running around and laughing on it, whilst the sun shone brightly in the blue sky. Granted, it wasn't particularly sunny, but I was positive humans must love the beach.

I led her outside and stopped. I had no idea where to find a beach. Chell watched me suspiciously as I looked up and down the road. All I saw was trees and a few houses. No beach anywhere! My stupid human brain wasn't even working properly, I couldn't hear it whirring or humming with electricity at all! GLaDOS must've given me a faulty body, I thought angrily.

Under the picture of the beach, if I remembered rightly, was a line of writing. I was sure it said where to find it! I scratched my head, which Chell seemed to find amusing, though I had no idea why. A small smile played along her lips as I remembered it saying something about a bus and a place called Lokige. That was all I had, but I knew what a bus was, so I was sure I had to just find one and get on.

Surveying the road again, I noticed in the distance a sign saying 'Bus Stop'.

"Aha!" I laughed. "Bingo! Follow me!" Chell followed obediently as I swiftly strode towards our destiny grinning like the core who got all the best bolts. When I read the bus times below, I was thrilled to see a bus called Lokige was going to arrive in a few minutes! Chell peered under my arm to try and see where we were going, but I put my arm across her vision, being careful not to touch her. I didn't want to be shoved into a car or something drastic like that. With a sigh, Chell stopped trying to peer at the buses and looked up at me instead.

"You, err... You have very... Nice eyes, they're a, a beautiful grey, I mean grey isn't usually a nice colour but yours are the colour of... Metal..." I complimented. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"Metal?" she questioned with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, the colour of... Of iron... Which is the metal I was made out of... So that's a cool connection," I continued, worried I'd said something wrong. Maybe humans find metal offensive! I thought hastily. Chell just laughed and murmered, "Thank you Wheatley. Your eyes are also very nice, the exact colour of the sea."

"Would that compliment mean more if I knew what the sea was?" I wondered aloud.

"The sea is vast amounts of water that connect areas of land."

"GAAAAH! WATER? MY EYES ARE MADE OF WATER! HELP IM GOING TO DIE!"

"Your eyes aren't made of water stupid! They're the same colour as water!" Chell giggled.

"Phew! Was worried then!" I let out a huge sigh and smiled back at her.

The bus was late, but eventually we climbed onto it. I paid for our journey, the secret out of the bag now. Luckily, Chell told me she had no idea where Lokige was so it didn't matter. We sat down, the seats forcing us to sit with our legs and arms touching. Her skin felt warm and smooth against mine, and I enjoyed the sensation. Chell didn't look uncomfortable either. I looked outside, fixated by all the humans whizzing along in cars.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I saw my first car?" I asked Chell. She smiled and shook her head.

"I had been walking for hours through this yellow grass stuff outside Aperture, and eventually I came to this long road. I was just thinking how fortunate it was that I couldn't get lost because humans have management rails too, when this strange thing sped past me, nearly knocking me over! It bloody scared me too, the maniac. I saw another one, going slower this time, and it was like a box with humans in it on wheels. Very effective way to transport humans around their rails quickly, but bloody dangerous. I tell ya luv, if they hit you it hurts! I speak from experience! Turns out, you can't walk along the management rail, you have to walk along the tiny little catwalks beside them! I know I'm a human now, but this world is just so weird. How do you get around without it all getting to weird for you?"

"It was weird at first. But after 3 years, you get used to it."

"W...O...W" I dragged the word into three long syllables. "It's been three years? You kind of lose track of time when you're in space."

"I'm sorry." Chell said in a hushed voice.

"What for?" I exclaimed, shocked. I was the the one who did everything wrong, not her.

"I let go of you. GLaDOS knocked you out of my hands and... I didn't grab you..." a tear escaped from her left eye, and I ignored her no contact rule and gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Two things luv. One, don't worry about it. She would have only thrown me back out into space if you rescued me. I don't resent you for it at all. And two, you're leaking, so you should probably see a mechanic about that."

For some reason the second comment made her smile, and she wiped away the tear.

The rest of the journey was calm, I just kept a running commentary up on everything that was happening, both outside and inside, saying things like 'Look at those fluffy animals in the field' or 'Look at that little boy running up and down the bus'. Chell rarely spoke, and when she did it would be to tell me what an animal or plant was called. After a good hour long bus ride, we arrived at a bus stop called 'Lokige Bus Stop' (no surprise there then), and emerged from the bus ready for action. I didn't even have to worry about finding the beach from here, because I could see a huge hill made of sand right in front of me. I whooped with joy and ran towards it, Chell trying desperately to keep up with my long strides.

I stopped suddenly at the foot of the sand dune grinning, and waited for Chell to catch up.

"Surprise!" I yelled cheerfully, letting out another whoop for good measure.

"I love the beach!" she smiled happily. "Come on lets go!"

I wasn't expecting her next move. She grabbed my hand and began pulling me up the tall mound, sand sliding beneath our feet.

"Not sure if you're aware or not, but you err... Seemed to just override your own rule... Not that I'm complaining, I love to... Feel your... skin... But just thought you should know in case, it was bad for you or something," I explained nervously.

"That rule doesn't apply to friends," Chell's voice rang like a sweet song through my transmitters - I mean ears.

"Haha, so we're friends again?" I laughed triumphantly.

"Yes silly, now let's go paddling, I'm sure the water isn't too cold!" she said with a happy bounce in her voice as we cleared the top of the hill. I stared fearfully at the scene before me. The sand I'd decided was the beach ended just a few small meters from the bottom of the hill, and was met by deep blue, rippling, cold water.

"ARRRRRRGH! WATER!" I screamed so loudly that the water seemed to move into an angry wave and crash below me in response. For some reason Chell was laughing her head off, though I hadn't the foggiest why. Water was no laughing matter.

"You're a human, remember? Water can't hurt us!" she explained. Then it clicked. I recalled GLaDOS saying that water couldn't damage humans because they had a waterproof coating called skin. My skin was waterproof.

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot about that." I muttered, turning my head away with embarrassment. Chell gauged my expression and smiled softly at me.

"Wheatley, don't worry. Old habits die hard, and I think it's sweet how you forget how humans work."

"You... You do?" a smile played on the corner of my mouth. She nodded and began to slowly lead me down the sandy hill. "I'll go first, and then you'll see for yourself the sea is harmless."

It made me feel weak that she was going to go first because I was scared, so I sprinted ahead of her, heading straight to the water as fast as I could.

"WHEATLEY STOP!" she shouted loudly. I came to an extremely sudden stop with a jolt, just out of range of the lapping waves.

"What's wrong luv?" I questioned, feeling slightly worried.

"You have to take your shoes and socks off! And you have to roll up your trousers too!"

"I knew that, I was just... Testing you!" I nodded, trying to look wise and clever. She smiled as she pulled off her own shoes and socks, laying them at the foot of the hill, and rolled up her jeans to her knees. I copied her, hitching my jeans up to my knees, getting confused when they wouldn't stay up. She came over and knelt before me, expertly rolling the trousers till they sat just above my bony knee caps.

"That's err... Fantastic work... Great skill there," I complimented as she took her first step into the water. I wasn't far behind.

"GAAH! It's freezing!" I yelled as I gingerly dipped my toes in the sea. "But I'm not dead, so at least I know my skin works properly!" I tried to be optimistic as I stumbled after Chell. She stopped when the water reached her calves, though it was still only up to my ankles.

"Don't want to worry you, but I think I might be malfunctioning," I said worriedly. "I think my body's shutting down. I can't feel my toes anymore and I'm shaking involuntarily."

"Human's body parts feel numb if they get cold, and we shiver too. It's perfectly normal, don't worry" Chell giggled again.

Strangely, after a minute or so, my body stopped shivering and the water didn't seem so cold. Chell called this 'getting used to the water'. I just called it downright weird. We paddled for a while, Chell laughing every time I flailed around in the water or nearly fell down in a wave. By the time we emerged, we were both soaked up to our thighs. My glasses had little droplets of water on them, so my vision had little specks on it. We righted our clothes again, and Chell lunged for my glasses, pulling them off my face.

"Very funny luv, but actually I can't see without those things, so I'd appreciate it if you gave them back!" I yelled, not realising she was wiping the sea off them. She carefully placed them back on my face, being careful not to poke me in the eye or put them on wonky.

"Oh... Err... Thanks. For performing a manual override on the water and effectively, making it a lot easier for me to see," Chell smiled at this comment a small giggle escaping her lips.

I wondered where we'd be if I hadn't been corrupted by power. We would probably be living together, still best friends. I would be a core, explaining why I'd have to live with her. I wouldn't need to eat or go to the toilet or wash or change clothes. I wouldn't be able to touch water at all. But would I be allowed in public? Would my outings with Chell have to end? I never saw any cores or Aperture equipment in the human world. I don't think the stupid little humans know cores and GLaDOS and Aperture exists. They were ignorant, and they wanted to stay that way. Of course Chell was different. She had grown up in the world of Aperture, didn't know any other way of life. All she knew was testing and cruelty, until I showed up and gave her happiness and friendship. Until I betrayed her.

"This is great Wheatley," Chell said in an earnest voice. "In truth, I really missed you. I missed being able to talk to my best friend about anything in the world, because we shared a past together. I missed your funny comments and rambling. I even missed your pretence about reading books and listening to classical music! I'm glad you found me again, otherwise my life would still be boring and lonely."

My heart seemed to miss a beat. Stupid thing, I thought. Malfunctioning after just a few weeks in use! I felt strange; like this moment was cast in ice, and we were frozen gazing into each others eyes forever. An alien sensation bubbled in my chest, making me feel dizzy and like nothing could ever bring me down. I had no idea what my stupid human body was doing, but I kind of liked the feeling. This malfunction was a welcome one at least.

The feeling lasted for the rest of the day, as we chatted without a care in the world, then bought and ate chips, and eventually caught the bus home. Even as we said goodbye, and I promised Chell I'd visit her on Saturday (she was supposed to be at work on weekdays, including today), I still felt a strange happy, dreamy buzz within me. I couldn't stop thinking about Chell, she was on my mind as I ate my dinner and watched TV and went to sleep. She even filled my dreams, where I rescued her from Aperture, and we never had a rough patch in our friendship. I wondered what the strange feeling was, but something purely instinct told me I shouldn't ask Chell. This feeling was my secret, and I felt bound to keep it from her.

**AN/ ... So there you go! Hopefully you don't think I'm rushing Chell and Wheatley's relationship, and I'd just like to say another thank you to Assozat for inspiring me to take Chell and Wheatley to the beach =P please review if I need to change anything in the last few chapters, or indeed this one. I always proofread but sometimes things escape my notice. Not sure when next chapter will be up, but I'll try get it to you as soon as possible!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN/... Sorry its been awhile since I last updated the story, my stupid **

**computer broke =(, sorry if I've kept you all waiting! A HUGE thank you to all the people who have left reviews for New Light, I didn't realize people would like it so much! So, this chapter has Chelley, but there's a bit of a twist to the plot now (thanks to Assozat for helping me with a couple of ideas for this chapter) ENJOY!**

**Chapter 5 - The Fire**

**Wheatley POV **- FINALLY! It was Saturday! After what felt like an eternity, the day I could see Chell again had come! My heart stuttered just thinking of her! It had been malfunctioning whenever I thought of her since we went to the beach together. _GLaDOS must have hard-wired it into my system so I was scared away_, I thought proudly. Well it didn't work! Its never gonna work! Chell and I, we're a team again, and nothing is driving me away from her again. I've cemented our bond and now I'm not letting anyone crack it.

Thinking of Her, and that place, had actually spurred me to a good idea. I was going to give Chell a present, to show that although the past is still white hot in our minds, we won't let it ruin our days or get between us. I was going to give Chell a present to make us laugh about that place. My totally amazing non-moronic idea was this: I was going to bake Chell a cake.

I'd seen people bake on TV before, and was ninety nine percent sure it consisted of just bunging ingredients in a bowl, beating them with a spoon, then shoving them in the oven (what ever the oven does). Simple! I could bake a cake no problem cried my overly optimistic mindset. As always, I listened to it. Grabbing a large bowl, I began.

"Okay, so if I were a cake, what would I contain?" I muttered to myself as I prowled around the kitchen. Pretty sure humans put flowers in them... I ran outside, yanked a handful of daisies out of the ground, and put them in the bowl. Also they put that white grainy stuff in. Lots of it... I lunged for the saltshaker and poured the whole lot in. And that white paste stuff... In went the tube of toothpaste I bought yesterday.

"Butter! They have butter in them!" I remembered proudly, pouring in the whole tub. I also put two eggs in the mixture, blissfully unaware you were supposed to crack them and throw away their shells. "There!" I exclaimed as I put the bowl in the oven and turned the knobs up as high as I could. "Done!"

Leaving the cake in the blistering hot oven, I went upstairs to have a dreaded shower. I hated them, but I had to have one every day. Whilst I screamed and squealed, turning the temperature of the water from one extreme to the other and dumping half a bottle of shampoo on my head, the oven was making strange noises, and flames were slowly beginning to lick the edge of the cake...

**Chell POV **- Another nightmare had woken me in the small hours of the morning. It was one of the worst kinds for me, the ones that contain betrayal. The ones that contain mashy spike plates and bombs and death traps and space. The ones that contain Him, the corrupted Wheatley, the male, idiotic version of Her. I'd awoken filled with biting fear, shivering and too petrified to move. I stayed like this for a few hours, until I managed to coax myself out of bed.

On the bright side, I'm seeing my friend Wheatley today, no corruptions, no tests, just me, him and a new outing. I didn't want to admit it to Wheatley, but I was really excited. He was my best friend again, and it was nice to talk to someone who made me smile. I found myself ready by seven in the morning and impatient for him to arrive. It was now ten, and even for Wheatley this was ridiculous! If I knew where he lived, I would go over there myself. All I know is that his house is near the nursery.

Thinking deeply about friendship, I jumped several meters in the air when shrill, loud sirens zoomed past my house. Peering carefully out of the window, I saw the tail end of three fire engines speeding down the road. Everyone was staring worriedly out of their windows and doors, some people even following. I didn't like to pry, so I decided to hang back and wait for the gossiping brought about by my neighbors to begin. I hoped it didn't involve Wheatley, he was always such a klutz it wouldn't surprise me if he'd accidentally set a tree on fire or something.

Worry began to build up in me like a wall of neurotoxin as more and more time passed, and still Wheatley hadn't showed up. It was nearing midday, and knowing Wheatley he should have been here hours ago. The thought that he might be badly hurt... Or worse... Gone, spurred me to go and investigate, clinging desperately to the shred of hope saying Wheatley was in no way involved. I should be so lucky... I thought harshly.

I began my journey towards the smoke rising in the sky as fast as I could without outright running. As I got nearer I could hear the commotion, people shouting, sirens warbling, and hose pipes spraying water over something. I couldn't help but run the final stretch, and turn the corner into Wheatley's street...

I found Wheatley quickly, for he was in a right state. His neighbours and fire-fighters alike were mobbing him, blond hair tinged with black soot and glasses covered in a thin layer of grime. His shirt was untucked, and the hems were wonky, where they seemed to have been singed by the fire. One of the central houses in the street was in a broken heap on the ground, still smoking even though the fire was long gone. Fighter fighters roamed around the burning remains, double checking nobody was injured or killed by the falling of the house.

"Wheatley!" I yelled in my loudest, clearest voice. He heard me, and peered over the heads of the surrounding people with a look of relief in his eye. I think he mouthed 'Help! Giving a curt nod, I begun to fight my way through the crowds, grabbed Wheatley's clammy, blackened, blistered hand, and towed him away from the hubbub. I yanked him to a quiet corner where nobody could see us, then confronted him.

"What happened?" I demanded with my arms crossed tightly across my chest and a serious look glued to my face. Wheatley shifted from foot to foot like he does when he's nervous, and then began. "I didn't mean to!" he whined like a little toddler. "I was upstairs, and my oven wasn't working properly, it started spitting black neurotoxin at me, and I think I was dying slowly, and I crawled towards the door, but my hand landed in this hot glowing red stuff called fire, and I felt loads of pain, but I had to carry on, because the black neurotoxin and the fire was gaining on me. I made it outside, and turned around to see my roof on fire too! My nosy, grumpy, annoying next-door neighbour popped up, and started ringing somebody. I blacked out, next thing I know my house is all ruins, and people are screaming at me for nearly setting the whole street on fire! One of them even called me a moron, which really wound me up. Now for the last hour I've been trying to escape and find you, but all these bloody people won't leave me alone!" he finished with a dramatic wave of his arms that nearly knocked me over. My serious look turned sympathetic, as he sadly looked back at his destroyed house.

"It's all gone... Where am I going to live? What am I going to do?"

I think it was the glistening tears clinging to his long curly eyelashes that spurred me to my sudden decision.

"Wheatley, you can live with me."

"I can? You're... You're not joking are you? Oh thank you thank you thank you! You're such a good friend! I have somewhere to live again! And I get to see you more, which is good because... Because you're my best friend and I missed you, Chell," he stammered with his embarrassment and happiness. I grinned, and motioned for him to follow me to my - I mean our - house.

Wheatley was a state by the time we got home. He was weakened from the shock and smoke, and nearly fell over a few times. His glasses had been wiped briefly on his top, so he had new black stripes on his already ruined shirt, and smeary glasses that he couldn't see out of. Tear trains left pearly white marks against the soot covering his confused face, and his eyes seemed somehow duller. Although Wheatley had stopped crying, he still looked like a lost child in a strange place. He didn't look comfortable till he entered his new house.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, he began smiling again like nothing had happened, and charged around the house investigating every piece of furniture, every room, every wall and floor and every nook and cranny. He came back grinning like the Cheshire cat and out of breath.

"This... Place... Is... AMAZING!" he yelled in between breaths. I smiled at him, glad he was happy, and hadn't been injured too badly by the fire. That reminded me, he needed his hand taken care of!

I pulled him gently by the arm to the kitchen, and turned on the cold water as fast as it would go. I saw Wheatley already backing away to make a break for freedom. He still has instincts that make water one of his enemies.

"Wheatley," I said in my sternest voice. "Come back and let me fix your hand!"

With a drooped head and frightened eyes, he came over slowly, like a scolded dog, and placed his burnt palm in my waiting hand. I slowly edged it under the cold tap, waiting for his reaction. A small smile of relief appeared on his hand.

"Ahhhhh... Oh that feels nice..." he murmured softly, raising his head to look up at the ceiling.

"Don't. Move. A muscle." I emphasized every word, and let go of his hand. Confident he wouldn't move, I left the kitchen in search of my first aid box.

Several minutes later, I peered around the kitchen door, first aid box in hand, and saw Wheatley in the same position, although his eyes were darting around the kitchen anxiously. I crossed over to him, surprised when he still didn't move. Waving my hand in front of his unmoving face with no response except shaky eye quivers, I began to worry.

"Wheatley, what are you doing?" I asked worriedly. No reply.

"Wheatley! Snap out of it! Look at me!" I cried. This time he slowly moved his eyes in my direction.

"Wheatley why aren't you moving? Or talking? What's wrong?" I whispered.

"You told me not to move a muscle. Are you mad at me for moving? It's just you looked sort of... Worried," he said in a sincere, calm voice. I burst out laughing.

"I didn't mean literally! It's a figure of speech, it just means don't leave!" I giggled. "You're so funny Wheatley!"

"I am? I mean of course I am! Built to entertain, me! But that really wasn't funny! I started to get an itch on my nose, and couldn't itch it, and it was torture!"

"Oh come on Wheatley, you're clever enough to have realized I didn't mean literally!" I replied, scratching his nose for him whilst he stretched. He replied with a sheepish grin.

"Is my hand supposed to be blue?" he asked after a few minutes of smiling sweetly at each other. I shook my head vigorously, partly in answer of his question and partly to wake up from my dreamy daze. I turned off the tap, and dried his burnt hand very gently. Carefully, I wrapped a sterile bandage around the shreds of red skin, trying desperately not to hurt him. He winced once, but that was it. Happy his hand was safe, I told him to keep it clean and be careful, and left him to his own devices. I had to get changed; I was going out with a couple of friends from work. I hadn't actually told Wheatley yet, he was to dependent on company, and I dreaded what might become of my house with Wheatley in charge.

Wheatley POV - I was so shocked that Chell had invited me to live with her! Granted, she didn't have much choice, she wouldn't have left even an enemy homeless and alone, but it was enough for me! Her house was so much nicer than mine too! She had ornaments and matching furniture and had decorated the walls with new paint and pictures. My house had furniture that didn't match, and I had just dumped it in certain rooms. There was a TV and a small dirty sofa in the front room. The kitchen had peeling paint and the fridge was a horrible red color clashing with blue walls. The bathroom also had peeling paint, and was quite dirty, my bedroom floor was littered with clothes and my bed was never made. I didn't have a dining table; I just ate in the front room. That reminded me, I had to buy new clothes. Luckily I had managed to save my wallet and put it in my pocket before all my money was burned to a crisp. I decided to go shopping now, so I could spend the evening with Chell.

I found Chell trying on different necklaces in her bedroom, obviously contemplating which one to wear. I picked up one she hadn't considered yet, and clipped it gently around her neck, my hands quite nimble and delicate despite their size. She fingered the necklace gently, smiling. She didn't need to say thank you, you could tell by the twinkle in her eye she was grateful.

"Chell, I need to go buy new clothes, all mine got... You know... Destroyed in the fire..." I muttered quietly, upset that I seemed such an idiot, burning my house down because I can't bloody cook! Chell smiled and nodded, so I turned to leave immediately.

The wind tousled my sooty, clumped hair, and I regretted not having a shower before I left. But I desperately needed new clothes, these ones were filthy and had rips and tears in them. I practically ran to the shop, scared that someone would see me and scream at me for starting that fire. I just wanted to fit in with my neighbours since day one, when I stumbled out of the wheat farm and into the caring arms of the small hospital. They wanted to get the police involved, positive from my 'deranged' behaviour and various cuts and bruises that I had been tortured. I refused as kindly as possible, and tried to act normal. But I couldn't. Everyone treated me differently, like I was mad and stupid. Now I'll never fit in. At least you have Chell! My demented brain cried, trying to tell me everything will work out perfectly again. I tried to ignore it, and holding my rib cage from falling in two with my heart and my mind, I sprinted even faster.

Turned out, I couldn't even buy some clothes with out something going pear-shaped. Everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of freak. It felt as though it wasn't just my clothes that made me a freak. Something deep inside told me that they thought I was completely different to the others, and could never ever fit in. I rushed around the shop, ignoring everything various strangers and neighbours shouted in my direction, and grabbed as many nice clothes in my size as I could within a short amount of time. I grabbed some toiletries too. Nevertheless the queue for the till was unnaturally long, so my shopping experience took hours. By the time I'd stumbled back home, it was pouring with rain, cold, and getting dark.

"Why can't humans have bloody flashlights!" I muttered angrily as I fumbled for the keyhole with the spare key Chell had given me. Just as I placed the key in the lock, Chell pulled open the door for me, a smile on her face. I stood up straight, and ran my fingers nervously through my hair. She looked beautiful.

Her usual ponytail was now glossy wavy hair gliding down to her ribs. She was wearing a knee-length black skirt, and a silky pink blouse embellished with ribbons and bows. Pink lip-gloss gave her lips a flawless shine, and her beautiful grey eyes looked bigger than usual – outlined in black. Around her neck sat the necklace I put on her earlier. I nearly forgot to close my mouth. My heart was malfunctioning again, missing beats and feeling heavy and gooey within me. Chell was the most beautiful person I had ever seen, even prettier than the famous humans waltzing up and down red carpets on TV. Even prettier than the most gorgeous of jewels. For a second, all I could hear was the inconstant thump-thump of my unreliable heart. She seemed to be studying my face very carefully, then her face twisted into a glance of shock and a stare of denial. I must have some unknown human emotion she recognizes, I thought curiously. Wiping the admiring dreamy expression off my face and replacing it with a grin, I decided to break the silence.

"You look very nice. Are we going somewhere? If we are I need to wash and get changed 'cause my clothes are filthy and-"

"No Wheatley," Chell replied calmly. "I'm going out. You're not coming with me."

"Oh," I replied sadly, feeling rejected and left out and jealous all at once. I had never experienced jealousy before, but now I felt a burning hatred for whoever she was meeting up with, even more shocked at how I assumed the person was male, and how much a difference the sex of her friend meant to my feelings. Humans were still alien to me, and I couldn't keep up with my emotions.

"Whom are you going with?" I asked, trying to sound merely curious rather than seething with anger at the lucky person.

"Oh just my friend Melanie," she replied casually. "Are you going to be okay alone? I might not be back till late." I couldn't believe my ears. I was relieved her friend was female for some reason I didn't understand, but hurt she thought I needed so much babying. Of course I can stay home alone! I'm a bloody adult too!

"I'll be fine," I said curtly. "See you later then." Chell gave me an awkward pat on the shoulder, unsure on whether I was mad at her or not, then hurried around me and left for her friend's house. I found myself looking longingly after her, already feeling lost and alone. It took me all my strength to heave myself inside and collapse on the sofa.

The house felt dead without Chell running around stopping me from hurting myself or breaking something, or cleaning already spotless rooms just to keep her sane. I felt lost, which is irrational. Normal humans can live without their friends, and proceed to do so for as long as months or years at a time. So why did I miss her when she had only been gone five minutes? Not wanting to go mad with strange human emotions I have yet to adapt to, I went upstairs to have a shower and get into my sleeping clothes. I didn't understand why humans have to wear different outfits for everything, but most men on TV just wear shorts or trousers to sleep in, so I followed them. My pyjamas (as humans called them) simply consisted of a pair of tracksuit bottoms.

I aimlessly wandered around the house for a good hour, wanting to stay up till Chell returned, and not feeling peace until she came through that door. However, when she said she'd be home late, I didn't expect her to show up at 11:04pm exactly (I had been watching the clock since 9pm) Her first expression when she saw me was one of shock.

"Wheatley, why aren't you wearing a top?" she questioned cautiously, like I was about to shoot her.

"This is my... sleeping outfit…" I looked away - embarrassed I'd somehow managed to be abnormal. Chell shrugged and didn't mention it again.

"Wheatley, where are you going to sleep?" Chell suddenly said. "I don't have a spare bedroom!"

"I'll... Errm... Sleep on the sofa I guess..." Chell looked concerned, but didn't question my idea. She seemed to have decided she'd said enough for one day, and with a smile and an awkward hug, she left me staring after her whilst she went to her own bedroom. I secretly hoped that was the first hug of many.

Trying to get to sleep made me realise the next big problem. I was longer than the sofa. My feet dangled helplessly, the edges of the sofa cutting uncomfortably into my thighs. I tossed and turned and moaned quietly for two whole hours, until I couldn't bear it anymore. Like a big kid, I trudged up to Chell's room to complain.

Peering through the gap between her bedroom door and the door frame, I saw her outline in the dark room. She was fast asleep, curled onto one side of her large bed, tangled up in an endless stream of thin material that humans called a bed sheet. I almost turned and left her, she looked so small and peaceful in her sleep. But my legs still had deep red grooves where the sofa had dug into my legs, and I knew if I wanted to get any sleep at all, this was my only choice.

Tiptoeing over to her bed, I sat down on the edge carefully and whispered, "Chell? Chell wake up!"

"Wheatley?" she murmured sleepily.

"Chell I can't sleep!" I complained.

"Just... Go... To... Sleep... There..." Chell muttered, then fell asleep again. It wasn't until the next day that I questioned her consciousness when she invited me to sleep in her bed. But I was tired, and I wanted some sleep, so I took her advice and curled up next to her. I was comfortable, and happy, and I fell asleep immediately.

Okay, I know humans move in their sleep. But I didn't expect to wake up in the morning to find Chell and I wrapped in each others arms, our foreheads touching. I didn't expect Chell to be sleep-talking, softly muttering my name several times before falling silent. But, most shockingly of all, I didn't expect to have a dreamless night.

Human dreams have been giving me a bit of trouble. I have what humans commonly call 'nightmares' every single night. I have never witnessed what humans call 'good dreams', and I often question their existence. Nightmares are torture. Endless replays of Chell's face when I tried to kill her multiple times, or being flung into space, or Her. I most definitely wasn't a fan of dreams. And for the first night of my human life, I had no nightmares of any description.

Unwilling to wake Chell, and liking the feel of her warm skin against mine, I didn't move at all. I knew she'd have to awake at some point though, and was fearful of her reaction. My best friend never seemed as open to being touched as I do, so she may be slightly out of her comfort zone when she awakes curled up in my arms.

I lay there for nearly ten minutes, staring at her pale eyelids, watching for when they opened. However, I still jumped when she opened her bright grey eyes.

"Gah!" I cried with shock. Humans can't fly. I know that. But Chell certainly can roll at the speed of light. She took one glance at my face, just inches from hers, one glance at her arms around me and vice versa, and rolled out of bed.

"Wheatley what are you doing!" she yelled, looking frightened.

"I... I couldn't sleep... And you said... You said I could sleep here... But you were tired... So maybe you don't remember... I'm sorry!"

"Oh."

"Oh god, please don't kick me out! I don't want to be homeless!" I cried, scared she now hated me.

"Wheatley, I'm not going to kick you out! You just... Scared me. I'm not used to waking up without screaming from a nightmare and-"

"You didn't have nightmares?" I interrupted, feeling I'd discovered something about our friendship.

"No. I do usually, every night since I left... That place... And then, last night, I didn't. I started to, I was in Aperture, but then I found you. And for once you weren't corrupted in my dream. You asked me to wake up. Then I held you, and you held me, and my dream ended, and I slept on."

"I usually have nightmares every night too..." I muttered thoughtfully.

"But you didn't last night?" Chell had cottoned on to what I was saying. When we were together, we kept the bad dreams away.

"Sorry for my reaction. It doesn't matter too much, the sofa would be uncomfortable for someone of your height, and we're friends anyway. Human friends sleep in the same beds sometimes," Chell told me sincerely. She clambered back onto the bed, and we just sat together, happy for company. Her head was on my shoulder, and my arm was around her. This dream thing seemed to make her see, we're meant to be friends. Our minds are automatically comforted when the other is near.

"I hate the nightmares," I said. I could almost hear myself saying hint hint.

"Same," she replied with a sigh.

"The sofa's too small for you. I guess... For now... You can sleep in my bed... But only as friends! And only because it keeps the dreams away! Deal?"

"Deal," I grinned as I took her soft hand in my own large one.

**AN/... That was a long chapter, sorry ;-) I couldn't find a suitable place to stop it and it ended up being massively long. I hope you liked it, and again, sorry it's been awhile since I last updated (damn computer!) Not sure when the next chapter will be up, hopefully soon (I'll probably start writing it whilst waiting for computer to be fixed, so when this is uploaded chapter 6 shouldn't be far behind) **


	6. Chapter 6

**AN/... So, chapter 6 of my first fanfic =) I didn't expect it to get this far! However the story still has a long way to go yet! Now for some more Chelley, and lots of it, before the action begins in the next chapter or two. Enjoy! =D**

**Chapter 6 - Defining Love**

**Chell POV **- The morning's events made me realise something that could change our friendship permanently. I realised how much I liked the touch of Wheatley's skin against mine. I'd known it since he hugged me. So much had changed since then, but the way he made me feel hadn't. I felt _happy_ and _safe_ whenever he was near. He was the only one who could make me smile, the only one who I allowed to touch me, the only one who's skin sent an electrical charge of safety and friendship and what I could only explain to be _love _course through me. I didn't know how to explain my feelings to myself, let alone Wheatley, how much I love him. Maybe the love is friendship, or maybe it's something more, I'm still not sure, but it was most certainly a hundred percent love. Some part of me hoped he felt the same way.

As we sat together on what I guess we negotiated to be _our_ bed, my head seemed to be the perfect shape for the gap between his shoulder and his neck, his arm seemed the perfect length to wrap around me and pull me closer, so our legs touched. His skin felt soft and warm against mine, and I wish I had the ability to freeze this moment immediately. For once in his life Wheatley was silent, apart from his deep, rhythmic breathing that seemed to effortlessly match mine exactly. I felt his deep blue eyes inhaling me, us, our position, everything. But the bliss silence could never last with Wheatley.

"So... What do you want to do?" he muttered, closing his eyelids and resting his head on top of mine. We had both unconsciously told each other that contact was now welcome, without having to actually speak to the other about it.

"Not sure yet," I murmured back, perfectly happy right where I was.

A few minutes later, Wheatley had the urge to speak again.

"I like this," he said quietly. "I mean, I like being allowed to touch you. When I'm holding you in my arms, I just feel like... Like we're unstoppable. I mean, together, we beat GLaDOS, and would still have been a team if I didn't let the stupid power corrupt me. But I abandoned you, and our team bond was severed. Now we have this bond... And I prefer it. We seem more like friends out of choice, rather than friends because we needed each other in our escape plan. And, I know it's too late to tell you this... But I lied the day I was thrown into space. You WERE the first test subject I helped to escape. I was sliding along my management rail, and some sort of invisible connection seemed to tell me you were the one."

It felt to cheesy for me to say 'Awwww!' so I decided show my feelings to his little speech. I removed my head from his shoulder, causing him to look at me with confusion, then kissed him on the cheek.

**Wheatley POV **- My heart has malfunctioned before. I was used to it. But my whole body malfunctioning? No, I bloody wasn't used to that! My heart was beating faster than usual, missing beats, and fluttering around in my rib cage like it had suddenly grown wings. My cheeks felt like they were burning, and my eyes blinked rapidly, not knowing whether to gaze at Chell before me, or close with my calm pleasure. My palms felt slightly clammy, but I ignored the damp, my fear of water declining. I felt as though my brain had begun to go into sleep mode, but got jammed halfway, so I continued living in a dreamy surreal world. My head swam with dizziness, and the world seemed to spin. The only thing that didn't move, the only thing in my state that was definitely real, was Chell, staring at me and smiling at my reaction. She placed one of her warm hands on my cheek, setting my malfunction off again.

"You've gone red," she chuckled. For once, I gave a silent reply. I put my finger against her mouth to tell her to shush, and kissed her forehead. Now it was my turn to observe her reactions.

Chell sighed gently as my lips lingered on her forehead, her eyes closed, her palm still on my cheek like it was glued there. I felt her hand get warmer, but not clammy like mine did. When I released her from my lips, her hand dropped from my cheek and her eyes flickered open, brighter than they were before. I decided I had to try and explain my strange malfunction that she seems to cause when I'm near her, to see if she knows if it's good or bad.

"Chell," I began, using her name aloud for the first time in a while. "I was wondering, well... I know your body is a proper human one... And mine probably isn't... But I was wondering anyway... If you know why I malfunction when you're near me?" I stuttered, thinking I must sound stupid. Chell raised her eyebrows, so I elaborated.

"Well... This malfunction makes my heart race and miss beats, and makes me feel dizzy and happy and safe and makes my world seem surreal, like I'm half in sleep mode and half awake. But it only occurs when you are close to me. It's a nice feeling so don't feel guilty for making me malfunction! I just wanted to know what it was... And you're clever so I thought... I thought you might know."

"Two things," said Chell's clear angelic voice, as she smiled serenely. "Firstly, you are completely human, a _proper _human. She put you in a human body, if you were still part machine you wouldn't have to eat or drink or sleep. Secondly, what you just explained... It's not a malfunction. It's human."

"If it's not a malfunction, then what is it?" I questioned, intrigued.

"It's the effects of a human emotion."

"What emotion? I know it's not happiness or anger or fear or embarrassment, I've felt all those before."

"Wheatley, the emotion you're feeling is called love."

I gulped loudly. Deep down, I knew I loved Chell. I had no idea the malfunctioning was part of it, but I know what love is, and knew I felt it for her. Admitting to things can sometimes be difficult for me. Admitting I loved Chell when I was so positive she only felt mild friendship for me, will be difficult. But she did half the work for me, so I decided to come out straight.

"Chell... I... I love you."

"I love you too Wheatley," she whispered, her voice full of happiness and sincerity. All I could do was grin.

"The dictionary definition of love, is a deep feeling of intense affection," I whispered in Chell's ear. She smiled.

"I didn't know you've read the dictionary,"

"I haven't. I errr... I found a scrap of paper with it written on in THAT PLACE, just when I was leaving as a human. Weird huh?"

"Yeah... Weird... Very weird..." Chell muttered thoughtfully.

_I love being human, but sometimes human necessities REALLY get in the way! _I thought to myself, as my tummy rumbled loudly. Chell giggled, obviously hearing my stomach's loud complaint. I suddenly realised how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, completely missing lunch and dinner because of all the unusual events.

"Breakfast?" we both said at once, sending us into a fit of giggles. Chell stood up, and motioned for me to follow.

"What do you usually eat for breakfast?" she asked me as we entered the large kitchen.

"Bread," I answered matter of factly. She gave me a strange look and questioned further, "Just bread?"

"Sometimes I put the bread in the toaster, just to mix things up a bit," I told Chell proudly.

"What do you usually eat for lunch?"

"Bread."

"Dinner," she said, frowning.

"Bread."

"Wheatley, don't you know what a balanced meal is? You'll get ill if you only eat bread! I'll make you breakfast, okay?"

I nodded, unsure what she meant by bread could make me ill. Chell's clever, she knows what she's doing.

Warily eyeing the oven, I sat on the kitchen counter to watch Chell make breakfast. She gave me a disapproving look, but didn't tell me off, so I stayed put. My eyes followed her every move as she put four pieces of bread in the toaster, poured out two bowls of what went by the name 'cornflakes' and covered them in milk. The toast popped, and she put butter on them, then put jam and honey on the table along with two spoons and two knives.

"There," she smiled, as we sat down opposite each other. "This is a balanced breakfast."

Feeling her eyes watching me, I tasted the bowl of cornflakes. They were actually quite nice, so I shovelled down the rest of them. Then I moved onto the toast. I'd never eaten bread with butter before, so I took a small bite sceptically. But again, I was pleasantly surprised, and gobbled that up too. By the time I'd eaten all my food, Chell still had all of her toast left. She smiled at me, pleased that I liked her food. She finished eating hers whilst I rambled aimlessly about nothing of importance, secretly liking the way she always seemed to think I was clever and interesting and always listened intently to my rambling. Most people just told me to shut up.

After breakfast, Chell told me to get dressed, and then we could think of something to do together. I agreed quickly, looking forward to another outing together. I wondered what we would do today. It felt strange to know that Chell loves me, and I love her, yet our relationship is still one that seems to be friendship. Are there different levels of love? Or did she lie? Whatever it was, I hoped that her kiss wasn't a one off, because it was amazing. I'd heard somewhere that humans kiss on the lips, but maybe that was just a rumour.

When I'd finally decided what to wear (my new, blue converses, black trousers and a white shirt) and my hair was neatly combed into... Well it wasn't neatly combed, just ruffled... I made my way downstairs to find Chell waiting for me. She was just wearing normal jeans and a pale blue t-shirt, and her hair was scraped into a neat ponytail, but she was still radiating beauty. I felt my cheeks burning again, embarrassed that I couldn't even look at her without feeling all gooey. She grinned at me anyway, and I smiled back.

"What shall we do?" I asked her, stuck for ideas myself.

"Hmm... Why don't we go out for a walk?"

"Okay, sure let's go!" I grinned, turning for the door. Chell, as always, had come up with a better plan, and she grabbed my arm to pull me back inside.

"No, can we make a picnic?" she asked hopefully.

"Eh? Whats a... A picnic?" I asked, genuinely having no idea whatsoever.

"It's basically a packed lunch, but better."

"Okay, so what's a packed lunch?" Chell just sighed at my idiocy and pulled me towards the kitchen.

"I'll show you."

"How can I help?" I whinged as Chell bustled around the kitchen. I had been sent out of the way since the sandwich making stage for making a four tier jam and cheese monstrosity. I had no idea she wanted the sandwiches _separated_. That was never specified, but I have been shooed out of the picnic making area anyway.

"You know, I'd love it if you could go into my room, and get a blanket from under the bed," she called out to me. I grinned, happy to have a use at last.

"Sure thing luv, I'll do it straight away! If anyone asks how I contributed, you'll be able to say 'Wheatley did a darn good job of getting a blanket for me!' Wait... Why do we need a blanket?"

"Just go get it, Wheatley," Chell sighed with a chuckle.

I charged to her bedroom... Or am I allowed to say our bedroom?... And dived under the bed with my enthusiasm. I quickly found a blanket, among everything else neatly folded under there, sheets and blankets and various little objects which I couldn't name. I did sort of ruin the neat folding though, everything kind of... Tumbled... When I had a wrestling match with a sheet to free the blanket. I decided to pretend I knew nothing of the mess, and got up quickly, a guilty look beginning to plant itself on my face.

"Gah!" I cried, turning around and coming face to face with a companion cube.

"What the..." I muttered, confused at the presence of Aperture equipment in Chell's house. Chell hated That Place for one thing, and secondly, GLaDOS NEVER EVER EVER let any equipment exit her facility. I wondered how Chell managed to smuggle it out upon escaping.

Dragging the blanket behind me like a child's-play version of a cape, I returned faithfully to the kitchen, confused at the whole Aperture thing. How did Chell escape anyway? I was sure it'd be near impossible without someone working there to help you navigate. Although this is Chell we're talking about, so who knows? Did she destroy GLaDOS upon being dragged back into the facility? My curious side wanted to ask Chell, however the kind side of me decided not to bring That Place up.

Chell had somehow managed to conjure up a pile of food whilst I had been 'helping' elsewhere. She laughed when she saw me trail back into the kitchen, dragging the blanket around behind me. I tried (and failed) folding the blanket up for her, so she assisted me. She placed the food into what humans called a 'cooler bag' (apparently it was a like a portable fridge in a bag) and the blanket in a normal bag, then we were ready to go.

I may not be very good at packing bags or folding or cooking, but I was stronger than Chell, and appointed myself as head of carrying everything. I didn't want to seem helpless and worthless before her, when she seemed to be able to do everything effortlessly. If showing off my strength made me feel proud, then so be it, I would show off for all I was worth. Discreetly making sure Chell was watching, I placed both bags into one hand, and held open the front door for her with the other, doing all this with a smug grin and a slow nod of my head.

We walked at a reasonable pace, whilst I rambled about all matter of pointless subjects, from the shape of the clouds to the number of cows in the fields we passed. As we delved deeper and deeper into the countryside surrounding our tiny village, I wondered if Chell had a particular destination she was heading towards. She always seemed like she took everything as it came, like me, but on a more extreme level. I planned more important things, like how to defeat GLaDOS, but still took unexpected opportunities, like the core transfer. Also unlike me, Chell's sudden plans always worked, whereas mine were often ridden with faults. I never doubted Chell's choices, she was welcome to lead me halfway across the world, I'd never let her go again. I just followed her everywhere, like a little lost dog, thankful she didn't seem to mind.

We had been walking for nearly an hour, when Chell picked up her pace, practically jogging towards a clump of trees about several hundred meters away. I guessed that was our destination, by the excited look on her face. I smiled at her happiness, and ran ahead of her, turning it into a race. With my long legs, I beat her easily, pushing my way through the shrubbery to find myself in one of the most beautiful fields I had ever seen in my life.

The grass was a lush dark green, and was spotted with pretty clumps of flowers. Trees enclosed the entire area, making it a secluded paradise. A fresh blue river swirled gently through the middle, too beautiful to be scary. Butterflies spiralled around our heads, welcoming us to there hidden haven. Even fake fields on TV weren't this amazing. I barely noticed as Chell leaned against my arm, panting. I was vaguely aware of a soft giggle coming from her direction.

"Wow. I never thought I'd see the day Wheatley became speechless," she joked lightly. "You like it then?"

"Like it? I love it! It's beautiful! I can't even be scared of the river, it's too pretty. I'm... I'm stunned!"

"I think we're the only people who know about it. If people knew about it, they'd tell everyone, and it's beauty would be ruined. I haven't told a soul, apart from you. I found it when I was running away from Aperture. I stumbled into it beyond the river, and crossed over to where we're standing now. I never forgot the way to and from here, it's sort of like... My home away from home."

"It's beautiful..." I muttered under my breath, scared if I was too loud i'd chase the beauty away.

We stood there admiring our secret place for a little while, before we lay out the blanket on the floor. I abandoned the blanket after discovering the feel of grass against my bare skin. Chell lay on her stomach next to me, deciding to ditch the blanket too.

"You know when I said your eyes were the colour of the sea?" she asked me, rolling onto her back to gaze at the sky.

"Yeah," I replied, unsure what she was getting at.

"I changed my mind. The sea's too rough and dull. Your eyes are like a mixture of that river and the sky above us on a warm, clear summer day. Gentle, and calm and the deepest, brightest of blues."

"Your eyes are still the colour of melted iron, shiny and bright and amazing... I like metal, you know," I added, trying to make my compliment match the almost poetic beauty of hers. As always, I fell short of my expectations. I hoped I got away with it. To try and make up for my pathetic compliment, I decided to follow Chell's advice and use a gesture instead. My hand found hers, and I linked my fingers between hers. Her hand was warm and soft, and I enjoyed the feeling, especially when she gripped my hand back, and didn't pull away. My heart stuttered as I saw her smile sweetly at the touch of my hand. I was glad I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the touch of the other.

In our secret field, it was almost impossible to keep track of time. We could have been laying there for hours or minutes, I was unsure, but all too soon Chell sat up to unpack our lunch. It wasn't that I wasn't hungry, because I was, but to sort out the food she had to release my hand. It felt cold without her's around it. The lunch did look good though. As we munched on sandwiches and little cakes and these delicious things called 'crisps', I decided to add cooking to Chell's vast list of skills.

We chatted (or I rambled and Chell contributed every now and again, like usual) all the way until the sun made it's way down in the sky, which turned from bright blue to an array of warm colours like pink and orange and red and yellow. We watched it, stunned by the beauty of it, then as the moon replaced the sun, casting a cool glow over the darkened sky, we lay on our backs with our hands linked, watching the trees sway gently with the wind. But I had to ask Chell something that had been bugging me all day, ever since we discussed our love of each other. It felt like an eternity ago, but one question had been relentlessly nagging me all day.

"Chell, are there different levels of love?" I questioned curiously. "It's just that you said we were friends, but then you said you loved me, and then on that scrap of paper I found in Aperture said it was a feeling of strong affection, so I'm confused."

"Yes, in a way, there are different levels of love, though I would compare it to different TYPES of love rather than levels. I think all love is equally strong, just it makes different people act in different ways. You have love for family members, love for your friends, love for an object, love for pets, and then of course love of somebody in a romantic way."

I thought for a minute, then asked, "So which one applies to us?"

"Honestly Wheatley, I'm not too sure yet. But I know we share love for each other of some description. What do you think?"

"Well... I... Errm... I would say... Personally... That I am... How do you say it?... In love with you... Like in a... A romantic way..." I admitted, embarrassed. Chell rolled onto her side, rested her head on my chest, and curled her knees up to her chest. My arm automatically wrapped around her, shielding her from the evil in the world.

"That's good," she began in a hushed voice. "Because I think I feel the same way towards you."

We lay like that for ages, without uttering a single word, just happy to be in each others arms, clear about our feelings. At some point, my free hand had begun to stroke her silky hair, and Chell fell asleep. I began to feel sleepy too, and I knew we had to return home. At least it didn't matter we had missed dinner time, we ate so much at lunch I don't think either of us was at all hungry. Reluctantly, I gently slid myself out from under Chell, laying her head onto the grass as gently as possible, and packed away the remainders of the picnic and folded the blanket all by myself. I was just wondering whether I should carry Chell home or not, and how I didn't know the way, when Chell started to paw at the grass where I was laying a minute ago.

"Wheatley?" she called, her voice full of fear, opening her eyes quickly.

"I'm here," I replied calmly. "It's late, we need to get back. I was going to carry you home, but I don't remember the way."

Chell stretched and yawned, then stood. I picked up the now near empty bags, and couldn't stop myself from reaching out for her hand. She slipped her hand into mine as if they were made like corresponding puzzle pieces, and we made our way home.

I think it was safe to say we were both absolutely shattered by the time we both stumbled through our front door. I dumped the bags into the kitchen to sort out in the morning, and Chell went to the bedroom to get into her pyjamas. I got into my trackies in the bathroom, and knocking before entering, clambered into bed with Chell.

"G'night luv," I whispered gently, barley conscious. Cold and tired, we curled up together and fell asleep.

**AN/... I hope you enjoyed that chapter, I'm hoping I didn't rush the Chelley too much? In the next chapter the real action begins! Thanks again for all the kind reviews and to everyone who has taken the time to follow New Light =')**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN/... Chapter 7... Let the action begin! Enjoy! =D **

**Chapter 7 - Welcome Back**

**Chell POV **- I awoke from a dreamless night, with early morning light seeping through the curtains and falling across my face. My eyes opened drowsily, to see Wheatley gazing at me with a look full of so much affection and admiration, my heart fluttered like a bird. I'd never been in love before, so this was an alien feeling to me. I liked it. The sun slanted across Wheatley's blond hair, making it a cute sparkly ruffle of light hair.

"Moring luv," Wheatley smiled. "Any nightmares?"

"Nope. You?" I replied, returning his infectious smile.

"Nope! Thats good, it wasn't just a fluke!"

I untangled myself from Wheatley's abnormally long limbs, and clambered off the bed.

"I have work today," I told Wheatley, hoping he wouldn't be as upset as I was about being separated for the day. His face drooped, and he asked in a sad voice, "What are your work hours?"

"Nine in the morning till five in the evening."

"We have a few hours then. I mean... It's about six right now," Wheatley muttered, struggling not to fall back to sleep.

"You can go back to sleep if you want?" I questioned, concerned.

"No no! I'm fine! I'll be up in a few minutes, you go get ready, I'll out of bed and dressed by the time you return."

Reluctantly, I gathered my work clothes, and headed towards the bathroom. I was quick at getting ready, having a shower, dressing, scraping my hair back into its usual ponytail and brushing my teeth. I had finished within half an hour, and went to go find Wheatley, picking up his dirty washing that he'd left strewn across the hallway. I decided I needed to give him a lecture on cleaning up after himself.

When I entered the bedroom, Wheatley was standing in the centre of the room, staring at my companion cube with wary eyes. He looked up at me cheerfully enough when I walked in though, so whatever was on his mind couldn't have been bugging him that much.

"Wheatley, I'm happy to wash your clothes for you, but don't leave dirty clothes everywhere! Pick them up, and put them in the washing basket over there!" I moaned, pointing it out, and dumping his dirty clothes in it. "Also, don't leave all your clean clothes in a crumpled heap! You can use half of my wardrobe, it's too big for my clothes anyway, there's plenty of room!"

"Okay," Wheatley mumbled like a scolded child, picking up his clothes and sorting them into the wash basket and the wardrobe.

"Done," he said when he'd finished.

"Thank you, now let's go get some breakfast," I smiled. Something was definitely bugging him, I could just tell by his tone of voice and his jumpy, aggravated movements. _I'll confront him during breakfast_, I thought worriedly.

Wheatley trudged into the kitchen, and plonked himself into the dining chair, not even bothering to talk. This was so not Wheatley. Something was wrong. I made breakfast quickly, and put his in front of him, sitting opposite.

"Whats wrong Wheatley? I can tell something's nagging at you, what is it?" I frowned, concerned for the man I loved so dearly.

"It's just... I can't work out what happened to the facility after I... Was gone... Nothing makes sense! How come she didn't kill you or fling you out after me? How did you escape, and why did you bring a blooming companion cube with you? Where did you get money to get this nice house and all the furniture and everything? Nothing adds up!"

I sighed, realising I was going to have to tell him everything.

"Wheatley, GLaDOS was actually a normal, kind human once, called Caroline. She was Cave Johnson's assistant, and when he was dying, he requested Caroline be put in a giant computer, so she could live forever and run the facility for him. Unfortunately, this created GLaDOS. Caroline turned evil just the same way you did. But, you took over, GLaDOS was put into a potato, and she began to soften up again. We didn't become friends, but we were no longer enemies as such. So, when we were in space, she knocked you out of my hands, and pulled me back in."

Wheatley looked confused and hurt, and worst of all, _angry_.

"Wait... So you two were best buddies, and you never considered me?"

"No! It wasn't like that! You tried to kill me, remember! We weren't best friends, but the whole place was going to explode with you in charge! You were out of your depth, and you and hundreds of others would have died! I had to put her back in charge to, effectively, save you!"

"You knew she would have killed me if you didn't decide to blast me into space instead!" he shouted, his voice becoming louder with rage.

"I wouldn't have let her! I wasn't going to let go of you! Then when you were blasted into space, I saw the old Wheatley calling for help, and I was about to dive after you, but GLaDOS pulled me back in."

"Fine," he muttered moodily. "Carry on."

"So, she pulled me back in, her two co-operative robots fixed me up, I was hurt pretty bad from the explosions. She called me a mute lunatic, and told me to leave. She said killing me was hard, and I could just go. I got into the elevator she called, then as it was going up, all of a sudden I was surrounded by turrets. I thought that GLaDOS had planned to kill me like this all along, but they didn't shoot me. They began... Singing... It felt strange, like She had organised a farewell song or something. Then I reached the surface, and was just about to walk away, when She threw my companion cube up as well. I couldn't leave it, so I picked it up and took it with me. It wasn't until later that I realised it had a stash of money inside of it."

I know people can't literally turn red or purple with anger, but Wheatley might as well have. He was fuming, and I had no idea why he was acting so weird about all this.

"What, so you two were just playing happy families whilst I was stranded in space? If I didn't help myself, I would've been up there till I shut down! You two left me to rot up there! In fact, you probably FORGOT ME until I found you! I didn't have to find you again, but I did! And now you tell me that you were friends with the psychopathic murderer who tormented and tested on you all the time?"

"I NEVER FORGOT YOU!" I shouted, dangerously close to tears. "Why are you acting like this? Why does it matter if I escaped or I was told to leave? Why does it matter if GLaDOS had a more humane side? Why dwell on the past, Wheatley? You think it doesn't haunt me everyday of my life? You think I felt _happy_ that I let my best friend fly out into space crying for help? I missed you everyday of my life since then, every single day, and this is how you repay me? Can't you just be happy She didn't kill either of us and get over yourself?"

Maybe I'd pushed it to far, I'm not sure, but Wheatley stormed out of the room, and out of the house altogether. I didn't want to go after him yet, I was still upset at his strange reaction. I decided I would go to work in an hour like I would usually, and hopefully he'd be back by the time I returned. If he wasn't, I'd go out looking. I was too busy pacing up and down the kitchen to notice the strange robotic noises outside my window, the two odd shadows cast across the room, one tall and skinny, one short and fat. I didn't notice the handle turn on the door (left unlocked by Wheatley), and the quiet creak as two strangers entered my home.

I felt close to tears, why wouldn't Wheatley understand? I was getting delusional too, I kept hearing strange noises and muffled thuds coming from the hallway. As they continued, I began to consider that Wheatley had returned. Maybe I was mad, but it couldn't hurt to check, could it? So sure it was my beloved Wheatley returned from his irrational tantrum, I sidled over to the door, and peeked out into the hallway. I didn't find Wheatley at all, I found two objects of my nightmares. Because, there twittering around and tugging at the lid of a bright white flask, stood GLaDOS's co-operative testing initiative robots.

Blue and orange optics glared at me. They dropped the white flask on the floor in their shock, and the lid burst open, spraying white gel all over the floor. They looked at each other, then looked at the floor, their every move synchronised. The fear was building up in me, higher and higher, like in a nightmare. You think it will get better, but it only gets worse as time progresses until... You scream. I most definitely screamed.

Whilst I was screaming and backing away, one of the two robots must have opened up a purple portal on the floor. The first and last thing I saw was a cruel yellow optic glaring at me, and an outstretched claw shooting through the portal towards me. Then the world went black.

**Wheatley POV **- Okay, so I overreacted... A little... Or a lot. But I just didn't like the thought that Chell must have had more faith in Her than me. Was I that bad? All I remembered was the pain I felt when I wasn't testing, and the great feeling I felt when I did. So when it wore off, I was angry my peace had been ripped from me. And all She kept doing was tormenting and bullying me relentlessly, whilst Chell stood there... Just listening. So, I tried to kill them... Repeatedly. Now I regret it all with my heart and soul, but wherever I go Aperture is a black cloud shadowing my every move! I was upset, and scared, and I just took it all out on Chell. Not a good move.

Kicking stones and litter, I trudged down the street miserably. I was barley a hundred meters away when my exceptional hearing picked up the sound of a scream. It sounded like... Like Chell. But it couldn't be, Chell's not scared of anything at all except... Except That Place. The puzzle pieces fitted together, and I saw the big picture. I really didn't like it Chell was in trouble, and I was sure it must have something to do with Her.

Running as fast as I could back towards our house, I saw the door hanging wide open. I charged up the front garden, and could see the worst scene I could imagine playing out before me. White gunky gel covered the floor, and a purple portal allowed me to see directly into Her Chamber. She was, of course, alive, and busy dragging Chell's lifeless body through the portal and back into the place of our nightmares. Chell's face was frozen in an image of fear, and I felt a sharp pain in my heart, like a knife was cutting it into pieces.

"NO!" I screamed, running into the house, and leaping through the portal after my love and the bloody robots. However I was too slow, and I found myself on my knees, raking my fingers through the gel, trying to find a portal that was gone forever. A lone tear trickled from my eye, as I stared at the place that caused Chell's doom, her grave.

I wasn't sure what to do, but it felt right to get a bucket of water and pour it over the gel, cleaning it away. Sealing the pathway of Aperture's return, but Chell's too. At some point, my vision blurred with helpless tears, and my legs buckled, falling onto the soaked floor she left behind.

"No," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

_It's all my fault! Why did I leave in the first place? If I wasn't such a moron, and I was as kind and as reasonable as Chell, then I could have saved her! I was her last chamce, and as usual, I let her down! If I love her so much, why do I keep letting her go?_ I kept thinking, over and over, like it was a tape on repeat. Worse thing was, I had no idea at all how to fix this! I wasn't intelligent, I couldn't generate good ideas, and I wasn't brave. I was just a moron, an idiot, a weakling and a bad person all rolled into one. My life with Chell had ended before it had begun, and it was all my fault. Everything was my fault.

I just stayed curled up in a ball for hours, unmoving and depressed. I would cry, then stop, then a sudden memory of Chell's smile or laugh would send me back into fits of tears. I was wracked with pain, like I had drunk a large amount of poison and it failed to kill me whilst it burned at my heart and severed it from the rest of my body. I had to do something. I had to. I knew I had to go after Chell, she didn't deserve a life in there, and I missed her already. All I wanted was a happy, normal life with her, and nobody would even allow that, after everything we've both been through! Life really sucked sometimes!

Heaving myself to my feet, I began to pull myself back into the normal world and find Chell. I had to go back _there_. I was doomed; I could never manage to survive alone down there with GLaDOS against me. All I could do as I picked up pace and headed directly towards the field of tall yellow grass was grasp my rib cage tightly and hope my heart wouldn't split in two. Neighbours shouted out rude things to me, but I carried on with my head held high. They won't bring me down now, I have to be at the top of my game if I'm going to rescue Chell.

Time was going too fast. My life was rushing by, and at the same time, Chell's was probably draining away even faster. I had to get to her! I was jogging by the time I reached the edge of the yellow grass, and sprinting soon after. Puffing and out of breath, the sky began to turn grey above me as I pulled up outside that dreaded shed, the secret entry to the depths of Aperture. My doom had come too quickly, and Chell's too. Our life together was over, a thing of the past, and I have never missed anything so much in my life.

My hand slowly reached out for the handle, and rested on top of it gently. _Wait!_ My wimpy brain sector thought hastily. _What's the point in rescuing Chell? She's most likely already dead.. All my going in there is going to achieve is both of our deaths. Why do we both need to die, it's pointless! And I should be responsible for keeping at least one of both of us alive! _All of a sudden, the clouds burst, and gallons of torrential rain poured into my head. My head bowed slightly under the force of the rain. This all spurred the other half of my brain, perhaps it was the side that doesn't like getting wet, to retaliate. _You're really starting to sound like GLaDOS!_ _You HAVE to save Chell! She would save you, even if there was no hope of survival! She's the love of your life, you've never loved anyone else, and you probably never will! She's the kindest, most beautiful girl in the world, don't let her go now!_

As always, the optimistic side won, and I tugged at the door. It swung open with a creak, revealing me to the awful, scary stench of Aperture Laboratories.

"Here we go, I'm coming for you luv," I muttered, as I took a shaky step into the elevator and plummeted into the bowels of hell.

**AN/... So, there's the first bit of action! Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger, I couldn't resist ;-) I'll upload chapter 8 ASAP! Thanks for all the reviews and to everyone reading this right now, I LOVE YOU ALL!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN/... The next couple of chapters will contain some violence, so sorry in advance if I'm too graphic, I'll try not to be for those who don't like gore =P enjoy!**

**Chapter 8 - Missing You**

**Wheatley POV **- The lift zoomed down to the abandoned lobby of Aperture, where the scientists used to hang out before they were murdered by a neurotoxin 'accident'. I was pretty sure GLaDOS killed them all on purpose though, that's just something the evil computer would do. My stomach felt queasy from the fast ride underground, and my head was spinning. I had done everything in my power to get away from this place on several occasions, and now I just waltzed back in here like it was my holiday home. I'd forgotten how scary this place was, the dark smell of neurotoxin clinging to the deathly white furniture and walls, the flickering lights that could go out any second, the millions of cameras and speakers all over the facility so She can always torment and watch you, the cold floor tiles sapping out the warmth from anything it touches. Everything about this place screamed danger. But I had to continue, for Chell. It made me uncomfortable to think however much pain I was in down here, Chell would be suffering ten times worse than me. The more I lingered, the closer GLaDOS will get to harming her. I might already be to late.

**GLaDOS POV **- I secretly watched the little moron run around the lobby. He was in my facility, right where I want him. As soon as he enters my lair, he'll be trapped, I'll stop making his little mute friend do tests, and they can have their precious reunion. This time, this time Wheatley will get the punishment he really deserves. The test subject and I will make sure of it. Haha.

**Chell POV **- So. It's come back to this again. Testing, endless testing. Inside, I was in so much pain, suffering from the sudden harsh loss of Wheatley. I missed him, I missed him more than I thought was possible, and I had never felt so much regret in my life. It was all my fault, all my fault. If it wasn't for me, we would still be at home. I had no idea what the time was or how long I'd been here, but it already felt like an eternity. I haven't felt loss this bad since Wheatley was in space. I half-expected him to appear on the old cracked monitors still hanging on the cruel white walls. No wonder He tried to kill me so much, I must have damaged at least 10 of his expensive-looking monitors. Maybe I would have done the same in his position. Although I don't think I would ever to be able to kill Him, corruption or no corruption.

I wondered if he even knew I was gone yet. Maybe he never returned? Or maybe he did, but doesn't want to help me. I left him in space, so why would he feel the need to save me? I was in a daze whilst I completed test after test, some hard, all of them deadly, none of them without a running commentary on my faults courtesy of Her. However reasonable She may have seemed in that potato, there was no trace of Caroline emerging now. I was doomed to a life as a test subject, except this time it was worse, because I had tasted freedom, and now I missed everything it came with so badly. I missed my home, I missed my job, I missed Melanie, I missed my boss, I missed my town, but worst of all, I missed Wheatley. I felt like he had borrowed my heart, but failed to return it, so now he has it, and all I have is an empty space stabbing and crying within me. As the elevator door opened to another test, I took a second to compose my face, cleared my head, and faced the deadly unknown.

**Wheatley POV **- I had made quite a lot of progress. Luckily, I remembered the layout of Aperture clearly, like there was a map printed on my brain. As I navigated catwalks and narrow corridors, it felt strange. Last time I was here, Chell was carrying me. Now I was having a hard time imagining life without arms or legs. A life where I didn't have to eat or breathe, and I only had to go into sleep mode once a month to re-charge. But then again, it was a life without Chell talking to me, a life without our hugs or linked hands or any form of love that was more than required friendship.

I could almost feel the air cool around me as I steadily came closer to Her chamber. I was close, too close, I had no plan because I didn't know what to expect. I could walk in on a dead Chell, a brainwashed Chell, anything at all. All I knew was that I had to rescue Chell or kill GLaDOS in return for her murdering my Chell. I stumbled along a creaky catwalk suspended over a bottomless pit, and I wondered how Chell always managed to keep sane in here. There's no sunlight, no moonlight, no stars, no homes, no other humans that communicated with her, just a host of weighted cubes for friends and a host of robots either driving you crazy or trying to hurt you. This was no life for a core, let alone a human. I was so scared that the last memory Chell will ever have of me will be me acting like a jerk, and storming off, leaving her to her doom. I missed her, and if she is dead, I have no life to return to in the human world. Everyone thinks I'm a moronic freak, except Chell. All I wanted right now was to hold Chell and hug her and kiss her and never let her go again. But I may be already too late. The thought of it, the thought of a life without Chell, made tears stream down my face.

I was so close to Her chamber I could hear her shouting at something... Or someone.

"Chell?" I whispered hopefully, as I approached the huge door into the chamber belonging to GLaDOS. Taking one shaky step closer, my nose nearly touched the door, and it began to slowly creep open, inch by inch revealing my biggest nightmares.

She stared at me coldly as I tried to look bold, wiping away my tears and standing my ground as the door closed behind me with a resounding thud.

"Oh. So you decided to rescue your friend then? I thought you'd betray her... Again."

"I'm not going to betray her again. I'm going to make you so sorry you kidnapped Chell." I practically growled.

"Haha. Little moron, you have no power this time. You're just a little human, so vulnerable and weak."

At that exact point, a glass room with no floor landed around me, trapping me in Her chamber. The room slid along rails, and shuddered to a stop slightly off the centre of the room.

"Look what I've brought to you. Maybe I'm kinder than you thought." She chuckled, Her voice dripping with sarcasm. And, opposite me, a door opened to reveal Chell. My Chell. My precious, gorgeous Chell, who wasn't dead. I pressed myself up on the glass, trying to get as close to her as possible. She smiled at me, and with a tear glistening in her eye, she ran towards me. Our hands met on opposite sides of the cold glass, separating me from the only girl I love.

"I'm sorry. I love you," I mouthed.

"I love you too," she replied silently. We stayed like that for what felt like ages, yet still nowhere near long enough, before the cruel computer had to intervene.

"So, my plan did work after all. You two are in love. How sweet. But deadly. For you're little girlfriend at least. For you, it will just be heart-wrenching. You probably don't want to hear my clever plan. So I'm going to tell you anyway. That note telling you what love is? I put that there. Your idiotic brain couldn't resist having to witness love for itself. I knew you would find Chell, and you two would helplessly fall in love. After giving you a while to fall in love, I brought Chell back here, in the hope that you wouldn't be too scared to rescue her. You really think I fell for your little story about having fun in space? No, you fool! I brought you back here specifically because this is the next stage of your long punishment. You did suffer in space, but not enough. So now, I can hurt you even more than ever, by hurting your girlfriend here. Haha."

"No!" I screamed, as a dark claw grabbed Chell and pulled her up into the air by her old Aperture jumpsuit.

"I think I am quoting you, when I say; let the games begin!" She cried, as a claw edged with knife blades whacked into Chell's forehead, cutting it deeply. Blood began to pool on the usually off-white floor, as I thumped the un-breakable glass. For as that blade cut Chell, it had cut my heart even deeper.

"NO! STOP! PLEASE!" I begged desperately as the blade swung again.

**AN/... So, the next chapter will mostly be about Chell and Wheatley's torture, so sorry to anyone who doesn't like gore, I'll try to keep it to minimum gross-ness ;-) thanks to everyone who is reading this right now, you're amazing! =) Will try to get next chapter up this weekend, but no guaranties, so bear with!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN/... Chapter 9 now =) just like to say thanks to everyone who takes the time to read New Light, it means a lot to me. This is basically a chapter about the torture, Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9 - Torture**

**Chell POV **- I could feel my own warm blood trickling from the two deep gashes on my forehead and cheek. I heard my blood dripping to the ground, and saw it pooling into a little puddle on the usually sterile-looking white tiles. I looked around the large chamber, searching for Wheatley. He was banging against the glass, crying for me, shouting, screaming, doing everything he possibly could to try and get out. But we were both trapped. I was hanging in the air by my top, my legs swinging and kicking helplessly at the out-of-reach torturer. I heard Her laugh at our pain again, and saw the blade swing towards me for the third time. This time it sliced my right leg, so I felt searing pain at both ends of my body. The blood seemed to burn me as it continued to run down my sweaty body. I tried to stem the blood coming from my forehead, but it just bled into my eyes. I was temporarily blinded, as I scrabbled and yelped trying to get the warm liquid out of my sensitive eyes. When I could see again, GLaDOS had put away the swinging claw, thank God. But she was definitely doing something. I vaguely heard her mutter something about electric, before she turned on me. I took in a ragged , sharp breath as a different claw slowly inched towards me.

I had no idea what this claw did. It wasn't sharp, and as it snaked towards me, I thought it must be to strangle me with. Unfortunately, GLaDOS didn't want to kill me yet. As the claw prodded me hard in the ribs, I heard a buzz, and a jolt of electricity burned through my blood and sizzled my muscles. Blood continued to drip down me, and I had a feeling I would faint from its loss soon. I hoped I would faint soon, the pain was unbearable...

**Wheatley POV - **Have you ever seen a loved one get hurt? Have you ever seen a loved one get tortured? It's the most blood-chilling, petrifying experiences EVER. Again and again I saw Chell get cut and electrocuted violently, and there was nothing I could do. Nothing at all. I was trapped here, whilst she was being brutally attacked and tormented, and it was all my fault. If I left Chell alone, then she wouldn't be here right now, and she wouldn't have ever experienced torture.

As huge, thick, wide puddles of her blood grew larger and larger on the floor, feeding off the heavy drops falling from her squirming body, I felt like her life was draining away with it. The usually clean white floor and walls were splattered with gore, and the room echoed with Chell's guttural yelping noises, she was in too much pain to even cry for help. I was almost blinded by tears, my world a nightmare of red and white and orange blurs. I pawed at my eyes again, trying to clear them of leakage.

"CHELL!" I screamed. "CHELL PLEASE!" my voice cracked as I mustered up the energy to continue, but I could only manage a hushed whisper. " Chell, please don't die. I need you in my life."

She looked at me, stopped squirming, and smiled. It was horrible to see her, looking so small and weak like a little girl, pausing, looking at me through blood-covered eyes, deep gashes on her leg, cheek and forehead, twitching slightly from several fierce electric shocks, but still smiling. Managing to be brave and put on a little smile for me. Our eyes connected, like there was an invisible wire between us, connecting our hearts, until the electric claw prodded Chell's heart, and her body went limp. The reassuring rise and fall of her chest that showed she was still alive stopped, and GLaDOS threw the lifeless body against the wall as if she was a tiny little doll.

"NO! NO NO NO! NO NO NO NO NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, the tears streaming out of my eyes like waterfalls. Chell was curled up against the wall, a blood splat marking the exact point several meters from the ground where she thudded into the solid white tiles. Her right leg bore a deep gash, still bleeding from her shin, and it was bent at a weird angle halfway between her knee and ankle. Her face was covered in dark red blood, a mixture of dried and wet. Another blood puddle began to expand beneath her, coating Chell in her own gore.

***clap* *clap* *clap***

"Well done. You managed to not save your little mute girlfriend. Maybe you were cut out to be an evil mastermind after all. Without the mastermind part of course. Congratulations."

"I couldn't save her. But I'm not the evil one here. You are. I would never torture an innocent human, it goes against everything moral. Except you have no morals, you inconsiderate, horrible, smelly monster!" I cried, thinking of all my best insults.

"Of course I have morals you moron! Who are you to decide whether I have morals or not? At least I don't crush people with spikes or ask them to commit suicide." She replied scornfully, but she began to sound slightly mad at me.

"Ha! You don't even know what morals are you big lump of metal!" I shouted, determined to make her mad.

"I am not a big lump of metal. I'm-"

"An ugly lump of metal who has no friends and no family and no life! You're a sadistic, science-obsessed lunatic with no feelings for anyone but yourself!" I interrupted, proud I could make Her so angry. My plan was working.

"I'm going to make you so sorry you said that," She threatened, raising the claw with the blades on high above my head, and bringing it down to smash the glass on me for a painful death. I curled up in a ball in the furthest corner of the swinging blade hurtling towards me, placing my hands over my head, and braced myself for the massive...

***CRASH***

Hundreds of razor-sharp glass fragments rained down on me, slicing my hands and ripping my shirt. A large piece of glass cut the left side of my cheek, but I stood up with determination set in my eyes.

"What are you doing?" the evil computer yelled as I leapt out of the now open-topped box.

"Saving my 'mute girlfriend'." I muttered, as I sprinted over to the far wall. I remembered a long time ago, a scientist pressed a secret panel along this wall somewhere, and it temporarily disabled GLaDOS.

"Next mission - actually find the switch," I muttered to myself as I slammed my hands and feet and head into every tile I could see, trying to find the right one. I knew I was running out of time, Chell might already be dead!

"Come on, come on!" I muttered louder, more annoyed than before.

"Are you trying to knock yourself out? I don't blame you," GLaDOS laughed as She watched curiously. All she saw was a strange human throwing himself onto a wall repeatedly, I suppose it would look that way.

**EMERGENCY GLaDOS SHUT DOWN ENABLED. THIS TEMPORARY PROCEDURE WILL COMMENCE IN 5... 4...**

"No! No no! Wait! What are you doing you little moron! Stop that right now!"

**3... 2...**

"NOOOO!"

**1... 0**

GLaDOS's huge structure went limp, her head swinging slowly to a standstill a few meters off the ground.

"I did it!" I whooped proudly. "Oh, right, yeah, I need to rescue Chell!"

I kneeled before Chell, and rolled her onto her back. My eyes assessed the damage, right leg broken, deep cuts on right leg, left cheek and forehead, been electrocuted at least seven times, once fatal to the chest, not breathing. I placed my fingers on her tiny delicate wrist. Slowly fading, faint pulse. Analysis complete, that was the easy part, but how do I fix it!

"Chell? Chell can you hear me? Are you awake?" I asked her, a worried frown beginning to show on my concerned face. I received no reply.

"Chell!" I shouted nervously, shaking her body gently, then roughly.

"Chell wake up! Please wake up! I have no idea how to fix this! Please luv!"

Again, I received no reply.

"Oh for crying out loud!" I shouted through my tears, thumping her with my frustration.

To my surprise, Chell took a jagged inwards breath as I hit her square on the chest. I grimaced as I realised what I had to do. I had to make her vital organs work again manually. I vaguely remembered seeing this on TV. It was called CRP or something like that. She wasn't breathing, so I had to make her breathe, effectively. Drawing in a huge lungful of air, I latched my mouth over hers, pinched her nose shut, and exhaled. I resurfaced, my face covered in Chell's sticky blood.

"Chell? Are you awake now?" I asked her worriedly. "I'll take your response, or lack of, as a no then. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to do that again luv," I told her, inhaling deeply again, and repeating the procedure, with no luck.

"Okay, I'm gonna try again, please stay with me Chell," I explained, bending over to try again. And again. After five deep breaths had been exchanged, I was rewarded, and Chell began to breathe for herself. Checking her pulse, I cheered as I noticed it had gained strength and speed.

"C'mon Chell! Just open your beautiful eyes, for me? I missed them. Please open your eyes! Or move, I'd settle for some kind of movement or response that shows you can actually hear me. Maybe a nod or something, best not to move your leg though, I'm nearly fully certain it's broken. Possibly broken in half, as far as the bone goes. I'm... I'm not really helping, if you can hear me that is. Just... Just respond if you can hear me..." I encouraged the unconscious women who lay before me.

"W...Wh...Wheat...Wheatley?" she stammered weakly.

"Phew! You're awake! But can you move?"

"I...I think so... Hang on a second..."

Chell, opened her gorgeous eyes, and began to lift herself up into a nearly-sitting position and prop herself up by her strong elbows. I wiped the tears off of my bloody face, and gently hugged her.

"Chell I love you so much. I'm so sorry luv, I should have stopped GLaDOS sooner. But, guess what? I shut Her down! Temporarily, but still, shut down for now! So we can escape again, with my excellent navigating skills! Escape for good, because I'm never leaving you again!" Chell clung to me tightly with her arms, using me as the only support that kept her off the red, wet tiles.

"I... Love you... Wheatley," she barley whispered back weakly.

We crouched in companionable silence whilst we hugged and I began to devise a plan.

"I'm going to have to carry you, like you carried me for all that time, because your leg is definitely broken. Sorry if this hurts, but I'm going have to lift you off the ground. Stay with me," I begged, scared I would hurt her. As gently as was humanly possible, I wriggled my arms beneath her, and lifted her into my arms, cradling her like a baby to my chest. When I had made sure Chell wasn't hurt during the lift, I began to walk carefully towards the exit, picking my way around blood puddles with disgust. It was scary to feel how little she weighed. I couldn't understand why I ever called this little tiny thing fat. My head ducked guiltily at the memory.

"Did She hurt you?" Chell whispered, stroking the blood on my chin.

"No, not physically at least, just tiny cuts from broken glass. It's mostly your blood, I had to give you CRP," I explained proudly to her. "I thought you were dead, but I found your pulse in your wrist, and I remembered how you can sometimes bring humans back to life with CRP, so I began to make you breathe manually, but you had blood all over your face, and some of it went on me."

"CPR," Chell corrected, "But thanks for saving my life. So, how did you get hurt, if She didn't hurt you physically?"

"Luv, I am mentally scarred for life by the image of you being tortured, your blood dripping onto the tiles, your lifeless body being flung into the wall and sinking in a broken heap in the corner, her sadistic laughter taunting my ears..." I shuddered, trying to shake the memory from my mind.

"Huh, that was a stupid question I guess," Chell muttered thoughtfully, also shuddering.

After slowly making my way out of Her chamber, I wandered around the facility aimlessly, only vaguely knowing my way around the dim never-ending corridors and catwalks. It felt strange to look up and see my old management rail, rusted and broken completely away in some places. I could barley remember how it felt to be sliding along a rail, high above Chell's head, no arms or legs, just a little metal ball with a large singular optic. I think I prefer being human, oddly enough. It feels more natural, like I'm supposed to be in this form rather than my previous one. It just feels right to be able to carry Chell's injured body, rather than having to swing above her head helplessly, unable to do anything. Humans are so much more flexible and able than cores. I liked it.

Praying I was going the right way, I clambered into a lift, and it began to descend.

"Wait, why are we going down? We're meant to be going up! This elevator is supposed to be going up! Are we falling?" I panicked, trying to get the elevator to stop with no luck. With a jolt and a pop of glass breaking, I broke out of the lift, which had landed in a dark room complete with flickering lights and old paintings.

"Great," I moaned angrily. "We're back in the old Aperture. I think this part of the facility's from the _1950s_, to be precise." Chell lifted her head slightly to gaze around the room.

"Oh Wheatley, you'd better be able to get us out of here... Alive preferably."

**AN/... Tadah, there's chapter 9! I hope you liked it =). Not sure when chapter 10 will be up, I'm going on holiday for 12 days on Friday, so may not be able to update for a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter up before then, fingers crossed! Don't forget to review/favourite/subscribe or keep checking New Light for the next chapter =D**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN/... Chapter 10, sorry I haven't updated in ages, I just got back from my holiday, and now it's summer so I have no school, therefore I should be able to update regularly! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10 - Flashbacks**

**Chell POV **- Every step Wheatley took, however much he tried to shift my weight away from him, felt like my leg was being hacked off with blunt saws. Blood continued to trickle down my face, and my leg had swollen to three times it's size. I have experienced a lot of pain at the extent of _her_, but never before has she tried to torture me. All her previous efforts to kill me had been reasonably fast, and not so much a torture procedure. I felt myself fade out slowly, from lack of blood, and it took every ounce of my energy for each blink to not glue my eyelids shut with exhaustion. I knew if I fell asleep I may not wake up again, and as much as Wheatley can navigate Aperture, the ruins surrounding us were impossible to distinguish in the gloomy light, which only showed that everything was in a state of decay. He needed all the help he could get.

Wheatley trembled nervously as he trudged through knee-high mud and clambered over fallen podiums and walls whilst trying desperatley to hold onto me. Every leap he had to make, every pile of rubble he tripped over, flung me to the floor in a broken heap, where he had to scoop up the pieces and continue with shaky limbs and slippery grip, feeling more guilty with every step he made. He knew I was in unbearable pain, and there was nothing he could do. All I could do was bite my tongue and lip to stop myself screaming. Screaming would only make Wheatley more jittery, and he could barely carry me safely as it was. After what felt like days of aimlessly dragging ourselves through the debris, Wheatley couldn't manage any longer, and collapsed. As his legs gave way, I managed to brace myself for the fall, and stomach the endless wave of pain that washed through me. He tried to scramble to his feet with a crumbling apology, but wobbled like a toddler and fell again.

"Let's rest... for a bit... you can't... keep carrying... me in your state. I'm sure a... solution will... come in time. We won't last long if... we keep moving anyway," I managed to choke out through the pain that held me captive. All Wheatley could do was nod weakly and crumple onto the blanket of mud. I copied his example, and heaved myself next to him.

"I'm so sorry Chell. I should be able to carry you, but I'm just so thirsty and hungry and _scared. _And... And now I can't even get up, we need to keep moving or we'll both die, but I can't. I can feel myself giving up. Please don't let me give up Chell, please!" Wheatley begged helplessly, breathing quickly and curling up into a foetal position. He was having a panic attack, and through his damp muddy hair and crumbling face I saw a little lost boy, desperate and completely helpless. Tears streamed down his pale face in small stormy-grey drops, as I struggled into a sitting position, fighting back my cries of pain, and pulled Wheatley up too, holding him tightly to me, like I would never let go.

It took a lot of gentle rocking and shhing noises, but eventually I calmed Wheatley down. He wasn't talking, or moving, and he stayed stuck in his foetal position, but the tears and begging stopped at least. It was the best I could do, as pain and exhaustion slowly dragged me into darkness. This time, he couldn't keep the bad dreams away, he was to miserable and cold to spread warmth. I slept fitfully under the watchful eyes of my Wheatley.

**Wheatley POV **- Chell looked like an angel, an angel who I had heartlessly murdered. Her face was unnaturally pale, her body cold, lips blue and both of our blood staining her marble skin. Chell's hair was tangled in loose knots around her troubled face, and her broken bones made strange lumps and points in her soft flesh. Whatever injuries GLaDOS gave her, I made them all ten times worse, and even added some of my own into the mix. I truly was a monster. I wasn't good for Chell, and I doubted that my company could ever save her. _Who am I kidding?_ I thought harshly. _Chell must hate me now, and with good cause. I can't stay. She'll be better off escaping without me, I just slow her down. I can't even save myself from trouble, let alone Chell too._ With one final glance at Chell, I stroked her tangled hair, smoothing it into soft brown waves that shimmered in the flickering light, which illuminated her face. She looked like a child, lost and alone, and something deep inside me triggered, casting a long forgotten memory to resurface.

_My arms and legs disappeared, and I was a core again. I bounced around on the edge of my management rail, impatiently waiting for the scientists to arrive. I recognised the singular glass wall overlooking a test chamber, the white tiles and the grey desks. I was in an observation room. Eventually, two young men in white coats stumbled into the room, laughing raucously and plonking themselves into chairs. _

_"Hello, I've been sent to tell you something, it's quite impor-"_

_**"Test subject 009834 entering test chamber 01."**_

_"Shush Wheatley, we have to observe the new test subject." cried one of the scientists._

_"Yeah but this is more important! I need to talk to you about..." I trailed off slowly as I caught sight of the new test subject. She was tiny. I'd never seen a subject that looked so short and small and vulnerable before._

_"Why's she so small?" I questioned curiously, forgetting completely about my previous purpose. _

_"Well, she's a kid, Wheatley." _

_"Fourteen years old to be precise," Chimed in the other scientist._

_"Whoa! Whoa wait, what?! But... But... But that's... Illegal! She's so young! It's against health and safety! I mean, she could die! Get killed! Bam, off the face of this Earth! It's not right!" I ranted angrily, determined that these actions were not moral or humane in any way, shape or form._

_"That's life Wheats. I know you're friendly and kind and all that, but there's nothing we can do at the moment. I promise you this, we're not happy either, and after work today, we'll report this place to the authorities, it's too dangerous a science to continue, has been for years now. She'll survive today, I mean, look how determined she is."_

_I turned to face the glass wall, just as the girl flew across the room, landing by the open exit. She turned to look at the observation room, her grey eyes curious, a frown on her pale forehead, and brown hair tied securely in two bunches. I doubted that many people could survive a whole day in testing, and I had to do something. With a troubled farewell to the caring scientists, I shot at top speed along my trusty rail, and stopped the young girl just before she stepped into the elevator that could well take her to her death._

_"Wait! Please, young girl!" I shouted, as she placed one petite foot into her death trap. Whipping quickly around, she stared up at me with questioning eyes._

_"Who are you?" the girl's eyes narrowed._

_"The robot who's about to save your life," I smiled weakly at her. "Follow me, small human."_

_She followed with soft footsteps, trusting me immediately as I guided her through dark corridors lined with defective turrets, and down many stairs and catwalks. I knew exactly where I was going; the Cryogenic Storage Units, where I looked after the test subjects. I led her into a small room complete with a Cryo-bed and opened a hatch on the ceiling so I could turn it on._

_"Small human, please can you get into the Cryo-bed?" I asked in my gentlest voice. She looked so young and frail, the last thing I wanted to do was frighten her._

_"The what?" she questioned me, with a shiver. I'd forgotten how cold it was in the Cryogenic Unit._

_"It's just a fancy scientific name for a bed, you know, like you sleep in? Please can you get into it?" The girl climbed into the bed, but didn't lie down. Doubt and fear filled her eyes._

_"Am I going to die?" she asked in a mouse-quiet voice. My electronic version of a heart was yanked from my virtual chest. My sphere overflowed with sympathy and hurt and pure anger at whoever had abandoned her here._

_"No. I won't let you die. I promise, I'll wake you up when it's safe again. I swear it on my life," I told her sincerely, sure that if I was a human I would hug her to comfort her. I wished I could comfort her, I knew human's liked contact, but there was nothing I could do. All I could do was sadly put her into Cryo-sleep, and turn miserably towards the door. I could practically see the young girl's innocence flowing off her in waves, the halo lighting up her brown curls. I let the door swing shut behind me with a foreboding thud. _

_Later that day, there was a massive neurotoxin 'accident'. All the humans who weren't in Cryo-sleep died, including the scientists who planned to report Aperture. But that wasn't the point. For now, the small human was safe. She has years of safe sleep whilst GLaDOS tests on each subject starting on test subject 000001. I made a promise to the young girl, and I intended to keep it. Maybe even do one better, and wake the girl up to save her again._

_I had the sensation of passing time, and I found myself whizzing along my management rail, searching desperately for the perfect human to help me. None of the deep human breathing I could hear appealed to me. All of a sudden, the door at the end of the corridor seemed to be calling to me. I had found the one. I just knew it. Pausing hesitantly outside the door, I read the test subject's code. 009834. I shrugged off the feeling of familiarity and knocked on the door._

All of a sudden I shook my head, thrown out of my dream. Except that dream was completley real. I was a human again, curled up next to Chell, who slept fitfully, my angel. The only difference was the numbers twirling around my head. 009834... 009834...009834... I turned back to Chell, and I could almost see her brown hair getting curlier, morphing into two bunches rather than one, her innocent young voice asking me sadly 'Am I going to die?'. The young girl I saved was Chell.

_I can't leave Chell. I can save her. I know I can, I've succeeded before, and I'll succeed now. When I wake up, I'll be strong enough to carry her again, and I'll take her away from Aperture forever, _I thought determinedly. As I wrapped my arms around Chell, and rested my head on her shoulder, I barley noticed that her lips faded out of the blue colour, her skin gained more colour, and she warmed up. I also failed to notice that with a mutter of my name, her nightmares stopped instantly.

**AN/... I hoped you enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it =D and I'm gonna completely ruin this by saying please review New Light! It's the only thing that keeps me going! I'm sad that I have nearly 4,000 views/visitors but only 17 reviews, as lovely as the reviews are, I'm kinda missing getting them =( sorry to moan, and I'm going to start writing chapter 11 straight away, so you shouldn't have to wait long!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN/... Whoa! Already on chapter 11 *XD* Thanks for all the reviews and to everyone who actually takes the time to read New Light, I know I've said it before, but you are all AMAZING! Extra special thanks to StrawberryRainbows, your review made my day, made my week even, I can honestly say that was my inspiration to stop watching TV and start writing the next chapter! As always, all of you who are reading this: enjoy!**

**Chapter 11 - Old Friend, New Enemy**

My eyes opened slowly, and adjusted to the dim light. Chell's breathing was slow and uneven, and blood still managed to trickle from the ragged wounds which refused to heal. I gently wiped it away, but to my despair more came. It was unstoppable, and it was killing her. We had to keep moving. No more resting from here onwards. I couldn't afford for either of us to die, because just like gravity, if one dies they will drag the other down with them. We had to both escape Aperture, I knew I could do it. I _will _save Chell. I stretched painfully, and managed to pull myself to my feet. I clenched and unclenched my hands and feet repeatedly, releasing them from the dull numbness, then slowly shuffled my arms under Chell's limp body. Luckily, today I could lift her with ease, and I set off in the first direction that met my eyes, which happened to be straight ahead. This time I was careful to avoid anything that could trip me. Chell couldn't afford to fall anymore, and I couldn't afford the ordeal if she did.

"Wheatley?" she mumbled drowsily, her eyes flickering open. I could visibly see her relax when she realised I was with her.

"I'm not going anywhere luv," I whispered as I bent my head towards hers. I had literally no idea what I was doing, but some strange basic instinct made me continue. I leant closer to Chell's beautiful face - taking in her beautiful eyes and perfectly curved nose, and lips that parted slightly under my warm breath. I couldn't resist temptation any longer, and it dragged my lips forwards, till they lay upon her's. Her jaw moved under the force of mine, and I didn't stop. It felt so amazing, and I decided to give more credit to the human instinct.

"Sorry to barge in on your... Intimate _moment_... But why is my friend nearly _dead_, and all you're focused on is sucking the life from her _very mouth_?" I heard a voice rant angrily, catching me by surprise. Strangely, the stranger who interrupted us had an oddly familiar voice. _It couldn't be... But it had to be... _I turned around to have my thoughts confirmed. A grey core with bright yellow optic was hanging from a management rail above us, which was the only thing down here that was still fully intact.

"Space core?" I questioned curiously. The voice sure sounded like him.

"Not anymore, young man. Please explain how you recognised my former sphere?" it was Space's voice, but not Space's personality. Not a word about his space obsession had been mentioned. Something was very, very wrong.

"Space, it's me! Your mate, Wheatley! Space what's wrong? What happened to you?"

"_Proditor._" his voice stung me like a swarm of wasps, for it was so full of disgust and hatred.Space core snarled at me, then elaborated. "That, you _babbling moron_, is Latin for traitor." he spoke in a deathly calm voice, then turned to Chell with in an unnaturally cold tone. "Let me tell you this girl, he's betrayed you once and he'll happily do it again. Don't let him try to save you, because he will fail. And you will die."

"Space, why are you acting like this? Why are you mad at me? I thought we were best friends, lost in space together!" I shouted, nearly in tears.

"So did I," he sighed, suppressing his anger. His yellow optic dimmed, covered by his drooping eye shutters.

"Wheatley, you abandoned me. You abandoned your best friend! And now everything I have has been taken away from me! When we were dragged out of space and back here, I thought that you would take me with you. But you never returned, and I became the victim of _Her_ sadistic games, the guinea-pig for an invention she found lying in Cave Johnson's office. I was changed into something I never wanted to be."

"What invention? Space, what did _She_ do to you?" I barely whispered, terrified of the response.

"It was this strange machine, where all aspects of your personality showed up as files on a computer, free to be meddled with and deleted. She deleted my obsession with space, and then I only had two files left. One of them was emotions, the other basic science. Both files are found on _all _cores. I am bare of any personality Wheatley, I can never be myself again! You don't understand how that feels! To have part of yourself ripped away, to become something that you would _never ever_ want to be - against your will!"

"Look, Space - if you still want to be called that - can't we just go back to that machine and add your space files back on?"

"I can't. I don't know the password."

"Well somebody around here must." I replied angrily, desperate to save my best friend. There has to be someone around here who can save him!

Space's optic dilated as if he suddenly noticed something surprising, and gave me a weird look. "It would seem I wasn't the only victim of _Her _cruel inventions. Just a guess here, but she put you in a model of a human?"

"Hah! Nope! She turned me into a human, an actual human! Water immunity, has to eat and drink, feels change in weather - the whole lot!" I shuddered at the thought of having to eat and drink, dreading to think about how long ago we last hydrated ourselves.

"What did she do to your... Ah... Girlfriend?" Space asked nervously, unsure on his word choice. I smiled weakly at him, to ease his anxiety, then turned to Chell's damaged body with a foul grimace.

"Tortured by GLaDOS. Then dropped multiple times by me. I have no idea how to stop the bleeding, and I think she's broken more than just her leg," I felt my eyes fill with love and sadness as I gazed down at the woman I love so much, yet also the girl I put through so much pain, still relishing the moment I kissed her. A loud clattering thud awoke me from my daze.

"Ow! It's okay! I'm not... Ah... Well... _Dead!_" Space commented, as he lay motionless under the remains of his decayed management rail.

"I broke the rail, didn't I? Great," Space rolled his optic sarcastically, and continued talking. "In case you weren't paying attention, I did release myself from the management rail, but as I fell from it, the rail followed me. So I didn't break it from weight overload. Please get this rail off me, because unlike myself it is extremely heavy."

Heaving the rail off my friend meant having to reluctantly free my arms of Chell. As gentle as if I were handling fine glass, I lay her body onto the mossiest section of the ground I could find, hoping it would offer her some warmth and comfort, and turned to lift the rail with one hand, and picked up Space with the other.

"I...Ah... Thanks. You're not so bad, I guess." Space smiled up me, suddenly shorter rather than hanging high above my head.

"That's okay, I guess," I grinned at him, then snapped with determined eyes back to the task at hand. "Do you know how to help Chell?"

"Yes. Do you have bandages?"

"No."

"Then you have to make some. Rip strips of material off the hem of your top."

I did as I was told, and soon I had several long strips of... Well, my shirt. Chell watched me warily as I tore at my clothing, probably unsure of my sanity. When I had finished, my usually long shirt sat in a tatty, uneven line around the very top of my trousers. For a second, I thought how ridiculous I must look, then flipped back to the real world, where I shouldn't put human vanity before Chell's own life.

"Good, that's perfect. Now wrap one strip round one wound, and repeat this process till all cuts are covered. Make sure the bandages are tight - but don't cut off her blood supply - and they are tied securely." I slowly wrapped one of the cotton strips around the deep gash on her forehead, and with much difficulty, managed to get one to cover the slash on her cheek too. I felt guilty as I wrapped one around her pulverised leg, seeing her twitch and wince with the pain. I hated myself for putting her through all of this pain, more pain than anyone should ever have to suffer, especially due to the likes of me. Yet, despite the fact that in the space of a few years, I've nearly killed her on multiple occasions, I've betrayed her, and I've brought her back here, she still loves me. I'm also sure that if for some reason she did the same to me (not that Chell would ever do that - she's too kind) my love wouldn't diminish either. Maybe this is what romantic humans try to fob off as unconditional love.

I stepped back from Chell, to observe my weak healing attempt.

"Is there anything we can do for her leg?" I asked, shocked by how broken it really looked as it writhed around like a dying cobra in the muddy moss of its own accord.

"Well... Can you stand to be hurting her whilst helping her too?" Space asked, his tone sympathetic.

"If... If it will save her... Then I will do what I must."

"Go find a plank of wood or strong stick as long as the girl's leg, then make sure you have three long strips of bandage. After you have those..." Space glanced up from his new position sitting on the floor to see me already returning with a plank of wood, and placing it next to the leftover 'bandages'.

"You're going to have to... Ah... Straighten her leg."

I felt sick and dizzy at the thought, as I knelt beside Chell's leg, which was bent the wrong way in at least four different places. Testing how much this would hurt her, I prodded her leg so it moved a couple of millimetres. The scream that came out of her mouth was blood-curdling, and I felt like my heart was being shattered too. What made it worse was the fact that I knew the scream was a mild version of what was to come. We hadn't even begun, not by a long shot.

"Chell... I have to do this luv. I'll never forgive myself, but I'm so so so sorry, words can't express how sorry I am, and I love you," a lone tear dropped into her open palm, and she closed her hand around it protectively.

"I love you too, Wheatley. Please don't worry about how much it hurts me, don't harm your feelings for no reason, I'm grateful that you have the heart to help me."

I gently squeezed her hand, then placed both my arms at opposite ends of her leg. Taking in a deep breath, I yanked her calf and ankle towards me, holding her thigh still.

The room was filled with crying and screaming and yelping for the best part of an hour, whilst Space winced and shied away and I slowly pulled her leg into a straight line. After enough screams to break a field of greenhouses, and enough tears to fill a lake, Chell's leg was almost completely straight again. I wasn't such a moron as to not figure out what the wooden plank was for, and I tied it securely to her leg, bandages on her thigh, knee and calf, to keep it straight. _Great, more weight I have to carry, _I thought, annoyed, but I was willing to carry a 10 ton weight if it would help Chell recover.

"Ah... That's pretty good Wheatley... Ah... You managed to ignore the screaming well," Space muttered awkwardly, though for what reason I had no idea.

"Look, do you know your way out of here?" I asked him, desperate to escape before Chell died, or GLaDOS woke up. They both meant the same thing.

"Yeeea... No. No I don't. But I know someone who does, if that makes up for it?"

"Yes! Who?" I literally begged, about to fall to my knees in exasperation.

"Can you clip me back onto my management rail, the section that didn't fall off?"

"Bloody hell mate! Just get on with it! We don't have time for your mucking around! Who actually knows how to get out of here, and where are they?" I shouted, roughly shoving the annoying sphere onto his damn rail.

"Follow me and all will be revealed."

**AN/... Cliffhanger =P Sorry that chapter wasn't as good as all my other ones, it's a bit boring but necessary for the story to get good again later on ;-) **


	12. Chapter 12

**AN/... WHOOO we're onto a dozen chapters now =) and I'm sooo happy New Light has beaten the 25 reviews barrier! Next stop... 50...? Okay maybe I'm a high achiever, but seriously, please review ;-) Thank you to TheDocter8007 and who is very supportive of New Light, and to everyone who reads this story, as always, enjoy! (Sorry its been a while since I last updated)**

**Chapter 12 - Suspicions Rise**

**Wheatley POV - **I gently lifted Chell from the ground, hugging her close to my chest protectively. The heavy wooden splint seemed to make no difference to her previous weight, and I worried that she was thinning. Her cheek bones seemed to protrude more than before, in fact all of her bones seemed to stick out more. With a worried frown, I hugged her even closer, and began to follow the annoying core, who unfortunately was our only hope.

Space was now riding his management rail backwards, so he could face me whilst trying to make conversation.

"So... Ah... You must really hate being human," Space grinned. "You know, cause they're all ugly smelly creatures." I glared at him, holding Chell even tighter to my chest and replying with a comment that would make her proud.

"No. I love being a human. I can get out of this dump for starters, and then there's the whole walking thing, also, humans aren't ugly and don't smell, and I think you are a pretty bad judge of that since your optic is cracked beyond recognition and you have no sense of smell!"

"Well... Ah... Figure of speech and all that..." he replied, mustering up all his cockiness.

"That's a bad figure of speech, little annoying robot who happens to be six foot shorter than me!" I retorted as I listened carefully to Space mumbling something about being pathetic and turning the right way again. That conversation was over.

I looked down at Chell, and she was grinning at me. I smiled back, everything except me and her suddenly disappearing.

"Dick," she whispered slowly in my ear. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "That core is a dick."

The confusion clouded my brain, and I had no idea what she was saying. "Is that his name? Dick's an old fashioned name nowadays, isn't it?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed till they almost met. Chell just rolled her eyes, and stroked my frown gently. I released it, and swapped it for a smile, nudging into her soft warm hand.

"Look, I know, human love and all that, but please can we keep moving?"

"Go away Dick, we're busy."

"What did you just call me?" he asked, sounding angry.

"Your name?" I replied slowly, annoyed at his stupidity. He couldn't even recognise his own name, that was low. Even I could recognise my name, and I was designed to be an intelligence dampening sphere for crying out loud!

"Ah... That's where you're wrong, my friend," he spat the last word, and I doubted he actually saw me as one. "My name may have been lost when I was changed, but I can assure you it was never Dick, 'cause 'Dick' is a human insult! How pathetic can you truly get?"

I glared at him furiously, then glanced down at Chell.

"Is it really an insult?" I muttered to her. "I thought it was a name!"

"Well, it can be used as both. I used it as an insult though."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered worriedly. I have no idea even how serious this insult was!

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you would actually call him by that!" Chell replied, then kissed my cheek to make up for it. Of course, I forgave her immediately, and began to turn my head to the side so our lips met momentarily. For the second time today, Space intervened.

"Oh stop it already! Come on, we have to go!" he shouted angrily, zipping along his rail double the speed of before. I broke away from Chell reluctantly, eyebrows raised, and swiftly caught up with the frustrated sphere. I nudged a door open with my feet, to find myself standing in an old abandoned test track. Fear shot across Chell's face, and I remembered the time I watched her complete her first test. Wide-eyed terror quickly appeared on my expression too, as I realised how much peril these tests had brought Chell. They killed most other humans.

"We need to get to the elevator on the other side of this test chamber. I can go straight through the ceiling, so... Ah... Good luck, and I'll see you on the other side."

"This better not be a trick," I spat furiously, as he left me with a crippled Chell in a rotting test chamber. I swivelled her round onto my back, and yanked the heavy dual portal device off its podium.

**Chell POV - **Testing. It had all come back to my greatest fear. It was even worse when somebody I loved with all my heart was involved too. Ever since that stupid core found us, I had taken an instant disliking to him, but this was crossing a line. I wished he was the little friendly, hyperactive Space Core I had met all those years ago.

"Turn the portal gun the other way, Wheatley," I told him objectively. I could see he would have to be directed through the test chamber with exact instructions.

"Will do," he said whilst trying to flip the portal gun in the air and catch it the right way up. It clattered to the ground, and Wheatley pulled an innocent grin as he picked it up quickly.

"Meant to do that!"

"Sure you did Wheatley!" I smiled with a giggle, his optimistic behaviour rubbing off on me. I had completed millions of tests in my life, this was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Wheeeee!" Cried Wheatley as he charged along the orange goo, then leapt onto the blue gel at the end of our runway. We flew through the air, and he landed with a deep thud on the high platform. Wheatley sauntered through the exit door, after hours of coaxing him through the test. That didn't stop him showing off, swinging the portal gun and actually throwing it at Space when the core made no effort to turn around and greet us.

"Hey, that equipment is expensive!" moaned Space, still shaking from the fright.

"Lighten up!" Wheatley replied, whilst we laughed care-freely. I assumed my favourite position cradled against his chest again, and he stroked my hair affectionately.

"Seriously. Humans. They laugh at everything. And keep touching each other, evidently," Space rolled his broken optic. Wheatley chuckled, ignoring the harsh glares from the annoyed sphere.

"Oh just get in the elevator! It's floor -219."

"Bloody hell that's deep underground!" Wheatley exclaimed, as we clambered into the elevator. "Can't we just go to floor 0? Surely that's ground level? I know that GLaDOS is on floor -5."

"No! No don't do that! You... Ah... Don't know... What part of the facility it goes to..." Space shouted hastily, sounding worried. My suspicions continued to grow, this strange little core seemed to know something we didn't, and I didn't like it one bit. Unfortunately, Wheatley didn't see this, and punched button -219 before I could reach for the big 0. We shot upwards towards the unknown, and I worried constantly what might meet us when the lift stopped at our apparent destination.

**Wheatley POV - **I yawned tiredly. My arms ached, my legs ached, and after that massive yawn my jaw ached too. My stomach rumbled, my throat felt cracked and dry, and my eyelids could barely stay open. I vaguely recalled that all of these were serious signs of neglecting human needs. And neglecting human needs definitely flagged the red danger sign. Chell and I only had two options, escape within a day or two, or find something to eat and drink, then go to sleep. To be honest, I really would prefer the first option, because any food down here must've surely past it's sell by date. I stumbled after Space Core sleepily, hoping that we found whoever we were looking for soon.

"Are we nearly there?" I whined up at the yellow glow in the distance. It zoomed back so it hovered above me, and I could make out its features in the eerie, yellow-tinted dim light. Space rolled his optic at me, and replied in an almost excited tone. "Only down this corridor, last door on the right. We're really close now, come on!"

Space led us into a pitch black room, and the door creaked shut behind us. I flung my hand over the wall manically whilst the other was still cradling Chell, till I eventually found the light switch. Flicking it on with a relieved sigh, the room blinded me with its newly found, bright white shine. We stood in a large room, carpeted in blue and walled in grey-white. A desk and black chair stood on my left, and an experiment bench on my right. Opposite, two huge machines lay, deathly still. They seemed to chill the air with their evil presence, and I dreaded that cores and scientists actually got hooked up to these monstrosities. One of them had a sharp needle sticking out of a small hole, and the other had pointy elongated wires writhing around it. They both had ports to hold cores, and I was positive neither of them had an un-painful way of changing you in some way. Finally, my eyes lay upon a dead and broken core lying abandoned in the corner. Its shutters were wide open, but the optic wasn't lit. One of its plates had been ripped off, so I could see the filthy mess of cogs and wires and switches that lay inside. The outer shell was ridden with dents and scratches, but at least the optic wasn't cracked. Curiously, I wondered what its purpose used to be. Something deep inside me threateningly told me that I may find out. It was right.

"That core down there, she can help you. But first, you have to wake her up." A port opened out of the wall as Space commanded, and he smiled. "You're going to have to plug her in, and charge her."

My mind set on freedom, I gently arranged Chell in the chair, propping her broken leg on the desk, and approached the core. Cautiously, as if she might suddenly wake up and electrocute me, I lifted the sphere, and plugged her into the wall. In truth, I had no idea what I was doing, but I pressed the big green button and hoped for the best. A whirring noise filled the room, and everyone watched me with unsure eyes. I gulped, fear overcoming me. _For all I know, this could be an evil core I was waking or something, _I thought worriedly, glancing over at Chell with a weak smile in an attempt to reassure her. She returned it, trying to do the same. A warm, bright toffee-brown glow suddenly filled my corner of the room.

"Err... 'Ello!" I greeted the awake core, who blinked at me with a dazed expression before replying.

"Hi! I'm the maintenance core, but you can call me Emily." I sighed at the friendly voice, Emily didn't seem like she was plotting anyone's demise. "Your voice, it sounds so familiar, but that's silly because your a human. It sounds like... Like the friendship core. But that's impossible, because GLaDOS crushed him a long time ago."

"What happened to him?" I asked the sad core curiously.

"Maybe about two decades ago a new core was made - the Frienship Core - to give the test subjects some moral support. We soon became very good friends, but it wasn't allowed to last. He was taken away to be turned into a different core, an intelligence dampening sphere. He was put onto GLaDOS to try and make her less of an evil genius. Of course it didn't work, and I watched him shout for my help as She grabbed him off of Her, and crushed Friendship Core, tossing him aside like a piece of rubbish."

"How many intelligence dampening spheres were there altogether?" I asked, shaking with fear at the story. Is she talking about me?

"Oh, only the one."

"Did... Did he have a blue optic?" I asked, petrified of the response.

"Yeah, did you know him? Are you a scientist? I thought they all died in the neurotoxin incident?"

"They did, and I do know him, because the Intelligence Dampening Sphere was me."

You could practically feel the awkward atmosphere in the room, the only noise was the quiet whirring of Emily charging. I couldn't stand it, so I spoke up.

"That's not the first time GLaDOS has crushed me and I survived. I was a Friendship Core? Wow, that's pretty cool. Makes me sad that I got turned into the world's biggest moron instead." I rose to my feet, trying to put on a brave face, though really my heart was racing in my chest. I wandered over to Chell, and lifted her into my arms, burying my head into her neck so no one could see my tears. It was her turn to stroke my hair comfortingly, and she pushed my head away from her warm neck to kiss me. I didn't care that Space and Maintenance were probably watching with disgust, I was lost in my own world, and it didn't involve either of them. I was right about the disgust bit.

"Friendship Core, why are you acting like a human?" Maintenance asked me, almost retching, her optic twisted with distaste.

"I am a human!" I replied angrily, turning back to Chell and resting my head on her shoulder.

"Surely it's just a model?" she replied with a hint of fear in her voice.

"No! Why can't anyone apart from Chell accept that I'm a human now?" I cried frustrated, wiping the tears from my cheek. I had long ago stopped crying.

"I didn't know such a contraption existed," Maintenance replied bluntly. "Did you choose to be changed?"

"Well... Not exactly... It was part of a deal, but I'm happier as a human."

Space Core mumbled something to himself, causing the brown light to cast itself upon him.

"Space Core!" exclaimed a grinning Maintenance Sphere.

"Hah! I wish! GLaDOS used the personality machine on me. But it's still good to see you Emily."

"Oh no, that's awful! Can't the humans plug you into it and change you back?"

"Whoa! Keep us out of your little reunion, we came because your little buddy said that you knew the way out of here!" I chimed in, still annoyed at both of the robots.

"I'll show you after you turn Space back!" Emily said defiantly. I put Chell down in her chair with a defeated sigh, and reached up to pull Space off his rail. I shoved him onto the port of the oldest looking machine, and was greeted by the invention clicking and whirring to a start. After the screen went on the blink for a few minutes, I eventually found two files, basic science and emotions. I looked at the bottom of the screen.

_'You last updated this personality two months ago. Would you like to undo your last changes?'_

My finger prodded the _'yes' _option, and after a minute of noisy loading, the Space Obsession folder appeared again. I saved and uploaded the changes, and for confirmation that it had worked, I was greeted by familiar babble.

"Wanna go to space! Space space space spaaaaaaaaace!"

Chell chuckled from across the room, as I removed Space from the machine and placed him back on his rail. I then lifted Emily up there too, and the cores began a stream of chatter. I guessed that the topic was Space, but I wasn't listening. The screen caught my eyes, and spurred me to a good idea. At least, I think it was a good idea, who knows when it's coming from me. I couldn't tell the difference between a fantastic and a catastrophic brainwave.

_'Would you like to adapt another personality?'_

For the second time today I clicked the _'yes' _option.

_'If you are a human please place your right hand on the blood receptacle.'_

"Wheatley what are you doing?" Chell cried to me across the room in terror, as I raised my right hand high above my head, and slammed it into the large outstretched needle. It entered my hand straight away with a burning pain. I yelped, but didn't pull it away. I was quickly held by several folders lined up on the screen. They were mine.

**AN/... Oooh, what's gonna happen to Wheatley's personality?! =D sorry for yet another cliffhanger, I sincerely hoped you enjoyed chapter 12! Not sure when next update will be, possibly this weekend but don't hold your breath! Please subscribe/review/keep an eye out for chapter 13! =D**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN/... Chapter 13, thanks for the reviews, they really made my week =D and as always, enjoy! (If you're lucky I'll try to not end this chapter in a cliffhanger...maybe XD)**

**Chapter 13 - Personality Makeover**

**Chell POV -**

"WHEATLEY DON'T YOU DARE ALTER ANY PART OF YOUR PERSONALITY!" I shouted desperately from across the room.

I couldn't believe that Wheatley had actually stabbed himself to hook up to the personality machine! I loved him just the way he was, every friendly, stupid, optimistic part of him. I couldn't help but blame the Space and Maintenance cores for this, showing Wheatley how easy it is to change personalities, and going on about how he used to be a friendship core. Maybe he did use to be a friendship core, but now he's just loveable old Wheatley. I don't want that to ever change. Ever.

**Wheatley POV - **I gritted my teeth as I watched my blood pool in the little collector attached to the machine. I knew it would hurt, but I had to remove the needle. The machine had enough of my blood, not to mention that my right hand and wrist looked a little on the pale side too. With a sharp pull upwards, I twisted my hand free of the needle, leaving it red and dripping with my blood. Scarlet liquid trickled along my hand, following the grooves on my palm. I wiped it on my trousers, feeling slightly sick. For the first time, I actually focused on the screen.

_'This personality has 4 files, emotions, friendship, intelligence dampening and optimism/humour. Would you like to delete any of them?'_

I selected _'yes' _then _'intelligence dampening' _when it asked which one.

_'The following action cannot be continued. This folder is empty, and its contents were deleted 11 years ago.'_

I stared at the screen frowning, reading it three times to check that was what it definitely said. When I realised that I had read it correctly, I pinched myself. Apparently if it hurts then you're in the real world. A human custom. Pain shot not only through my hand, but through the place where I pinched my forearm. Somebody deleted the files that made me a moron. Someone deleted them eleven years ago. My pulse quickened, and I felt myself fall to the ground against my own accord. I closed my eyes, and my surroundings immediately went black.

**Chell POV - **Wheatley had fainted. He did something to his personality, and then fainted.

"What's he doing?" Emily asked, sounding only slightly caring.

"He fainted! I need to get to him! He needs help!" I shouted, verging on hysterical. With a painful bump, I shoved myself onto the floor. It felt like it was a long fall, and my leg made an unhealthy cracking noise. I pretended it was just the splint, even though the wood bore no cracks or marks, and began to pull myself along the carpet by my arms. Every inch I moved felt like my leg was being snapped again, but all I comprehended was Wheatley.

"Why isn't she walking?" Emily whispered loudly. Space replied with a comment that nearly undid my motivated speed. "She has a severely broken leg, at least some broken ribs, possibly a fractured skull, maybe a broken arm too. Oh and maybe a broken tailbone. Almost certainly a broken voice box too; I've never heard her speak."

I rolled my eyes, pushing that comment away. He wasn't the first person to think that. Even Wheatley did once. I didn't have the energy to speak up, not for their benefit. I spoke only for Wheatley and a few other human friends back home.

If the pain actually did the damage it felt like it should be doing, I would have lost my legs after the first meter, and died halfway. However, it didn't; the pain was all mental, and didn't do anything too ravishing to my current physical health. Eventually, I managed to clamber over to Wheatley, panting and shaken with pain. I grabbed his pale right hand, inspecting the bloody hole that lay bang in the middle. It looked deep, and I dropped it, frantically scrabbling at the bandage covering my forehead. I finally managed to untie it, and secure it around Wheatley's hand. All I could do now was wait for him to wake up, and I hoped that time would come soon. I felt uneasy and lonely without Wheatley's babbling. The cores watched me curiously, and I turned my back to them, resting my head on Wheatley's chest, listening to the constant reassuring thud-thud of his heart, and feeling the soft rise and fall of his rib cage. It was in this position that I fell asleep.

I had no idea of the passage of time. We could have been asleep for an hour or twenty four hours for all I knew, but eventually I woke up to the sensation of Wheatley's arm wrapping around me. Opening my eyes, I saw him rubbing his head with confusion.

"Did that all really happen?" he questioned with a drowsy yawn.

"Yes, Wheatley what did you do to your personality?" I asked firmly, scared that my Wheatley had been changed. I didn't like the thought of trying to encourage him to push his hand back onto that massively long needle.

"Nothing," he whispered, and burst into tears. My world and heart was crushed as I acknowledged his pain. I tried to sit up, desperately fighting the urge to cry out in pain at my leg. It wouldn't help this situation at all. I wrapped one arm around Wheatley's slumped shoulders, and used the other one to stop myself from toppling over.

"Then what's wrong? It's a good thing that you didn't change your personality, Wheatley, everyone loves you just the way you are," I explained in a calm voice.

"Huh? You can talk?" Space exclaimed.

"Now's not really a good time Space!"

"Did you say space? Ooo space space space I LOVE SPACE!" I had started off his space banter again, and left him to it.

"My intelligence dampening files were deleted eleven years ago, that would have been just after GLaDOS crushed me. That would mean that the scientists repaired me, then changed me back into the friendship core and left me to my own devices in the cryogenic storage wing. Oh yeah, and I'm an academic dunce too, I don't have the basic science files that every other core has."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well, if those files were deleted, then why am I still such an idiot?"

"Wheatley, you're not an idiot at all! You may not be a genius, but you have at least an average IQ. I mean, you tricked me with that trap all those years ago!"

"That's another thing! If I'm a friendship core, then why did I betray you? Why am I such a bad friend?"

"You're not a bad friend! Even the kindest people in the world betray people sometimes, the power overtook you, and there was nothing you could do to control it. Wheatley, you have the best personality of anyone I have ever met, and never think about changing it again, you hear me?"

He wiped his tears away with lopsided smile and scooped me into a giant hug.

"Hang on, why are you over here?" Wheatley asked, his smile disappearing as his gaze set upon the chair, still standing firmly on the opposite side of the room.

"I crawled over, because you needed help."

"You shouldn't have done that," Wheatley whispered in my ear, as he got to his feet without so much as a stumble and lifted me high off the ground and set me against his warm chest. I leant up and kissed him square on the lips, wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt Wheatley hug me even tighter, yet still gently enough for it to feel like I was flying, hovering 6ft in the air. We stayed like that for a while, until Wheatley regained his senses completely, and realised that we were on an escape mission still.

"Oi! Emily! Show us the way out of here, as we agreed!" he called up to the toffee-coloured optic that had been watching us carefully the whole time.

"Of course," she said sweetly, and led us back along the corridor we came from, and to the elevator. "It's floor 0."

"I knew it! Space core you tricked us! You made us rescue your friend, and then you, when we could have been home by now!" I shouted angrily. He still looked shocked at my being able to talk, and I shook it off, frustrated. Wheatley nodded, staying out of this argument, and clambered into the lift. We pressed floor 0, and the lift doors began to close around us.

"It's not relevant now you're escaping, but GLaDOS woke up yesterday, whilst you two slept. Be careful!" Emily called, as we began to climb all to slowly towards our well anticipated escape. A ding told us when we passed every floor, and it was going extremely slowly since we had 219 floors to clear. Wheatley noticed this too, and pulled me up to his lips for another kiss. This one had a slight taste of victory and celebration, the next time we got out of this elevator we would be free from Aperture. I liked it.

After a what felt like a very long time, the lift shuddered suddenly to a halt, and started making a strange beeping noise. The buttons were flashing red, and we suddenly heard an announcer in the lift speak.

_'The elevator you are riding has been summoned to stop. Please exit calmly, and without fear. We hope you enjoyed ascending from floor minus two hundred and nineteen to floor minus five.'_

"You have got to be kidding me! You have got to be bloody joking! We can't even escape, even now, we're still being called back?" Wheatley threw his arms up in the air with frustration, realised he was supposed to be holding me, and caught me expertly.

"Let's finish this once and for all!"

**Wheatley POV - **The elevator doors slid open with ease, and we were standing in Her chamber. GLaDOS was awake, and glaring at us.

"You're back. So, you thought you could escape and I would just let you go? Haha, you really are a moron!" the oddly calm, harsh voice ricocheted off the chamber walls, and hit me from ten different angles. I felt like I was surrounded. Taking in a deep breath, I stepped forwards.

"I'm not a moron! My intelligence dampening files were deleted 11 years ago!"

"Yet you are still a complete idiot. Nothing has changed, you were born a moron, you can't ever escape it."

"Yes, but I'm not that stupid! I've beaten you on multiple occasions, so either you are an idiot or I am not!"

"It won't matter anymore. Because I am going to kill you for good this time. Then I will make your girlfriend test until she dies. Then when she dies I'll put her in a testing bot, and she can continue testing. Forever."

I felt Chell shudder at the thought. I wasn't going to lay down without a fight. A lightening fast claw shot at me, knocking Chell to the ground and pinning me against the warmth-leeching tiles. It was sharp, and aimed at my heart. I lunged for it, and grabbed onto the blade, pushing it away from me and holding it there. I felt it beginning to slip towards me as it cut through my flesh, leaving blood trickling between my fingers. I pushed with all my force, and the blade moved back slightly. Chell was watching with fearful eyes, but I shook my head sternly when she made a small advance towards me. I could fight this alone. Whats more, I planned to.

I could feel the claw straining with all it's strength as it tried to impale me against the wall. It was now centimetres away from my chest, and the manic laughing began again, surrounding me from all sides in loud eerie echoes. My guard slipped from the fear, and the blade shot into me with enough force to dent steel. All of sudden, after shallowly piercing my chest, the blade flew away from me. I looked up through bloody fingers with fear clouding my vision, but what I saw was clear enough. Chell was gripping the claw's long wire, and had obviously pulled it away from me before it entered my heart and killed me. I smiled at her weakly, the shocked noise escaping from the evil super computer worth the pain I had just inflicted on myself and unfortunately, Chell too.

"You are going to regret that, so much," chuckled GLaDOS.

The claw flicked of its own accord, and whipped Chell squarely in the stomach, knocking her back into the wall next to me with a surprised and hurt squeal. When my reflexes caught up with me, I was suspended in the air by the vengeful claw. The blood spot over my heart had slowly expanded, so my torso was covered in deep red splatters. I hoped the cut didn't damage any vital organs. I took a deep breath, gritting my teeth against the immense pain. GLaDOS was slowly reeling the claw towards her, like a fishing rod tugging its prey to a painful death. I didn't waste my energy struggling, there was nothing I could do. I could feel my willpower slipping away like the blood escaping my chest and hands. My vision began to blur, recognition fading. After all we'd been through, I was about to give up. Until an idea struck me, and whether it ended well or not, it was our only hope.

I kicked my legs feebly, swinging myself closer to GLaDOS by a few inches. Luckily, She didn't notice. I continued this, until my feet could pratically scuff Her, then made a leap of faith onto the white shell which could only be described as GLaDOS's back.

"What are you doing? Get off!" She screamed angrily at me, trying and failing to hit me, because I dodged the cord. I took in a deep breath, crossed my fingers, hoped for the best and slammed my foot down on the area where the claw attached itself to GLaDOS. She screamed shrilly as I cracked the connection slightly, and repeated this process over and over again, 'til I was rewarded with a bone-chilling crunch. The dreaded claw plummeted to the ground. I then began to viciously tear at the exposed wires, unsure of what I was breaking.

"Stop it! Don't do that! You moron!" She continued between screams and the crunches of crushed plastic or torn wires snapping. As always, I didn't listen to Her.

"Wheatley, please come here! Please stop, you're going to hurt yourself!" Chell begged me from far below, nearly in tears. This caught GLaDOS by surprise, and She made an odd static choking noise.

"The mute lunatic isn't actually a mute?"

"Well, duh!" I exclaimed whilst leaping off of Her broken body. I sprinted as fast as I could to Chell, scooping her up without stopping, and charged headlong into the elevator, desperately pressing the zero button. She threw a cube at the glass with a frustrated yell, splattering us with broken shards.

"See ya!" I yelled, laughing with Chell. We were moving upwards, slowly but surely, this time certainly about to exit into freedom. We stood in a panting, bleeding, broken heap as the lift slowed to a stop. I felt dizzy and anxious for some reason I couldn't pinpoint whilst I placed my hand on the rusty old door handle. With a gentle push, the shed entrance swung open, exposing us to the bright sunshine. I took a shaky step forwards, into the yellow grass.

**AN/... There's only a few more chapters left ='( I'll try to make them good =P I hope you enjoyed chapter 13, and please review! **


	14. Chapter 14

**AN/... I can't believe New light is a few chapters away from completion... I'm gonna miss writing it =/ but its still got a bit to go! oh well, I'll have to think up another portal 2 fanfic =P as always, enjoy!**

**Chapter 14 - Tasting Freedom Together**

**Chell POV - **I found myself tempted to punch the air from our victory. Instead, I watched Wheatley's face light up as he looked all around the wheat field whilst he slowly began to walk forwards, eyes gleaming like the sea when it catches the sun's reflection on a bright day. This immediately brought a smile to my face. I could already feel his skin warming up from the sunlight, and our eyes had adjusted again. Freedom.

Unfortunately, as I was being carried against Wheatley's torso, I began to find myself getting uncomfortably wet and sticky. Looking down, my eyes widened. Blood was expanding across his shirt like fire through a dry forest. With shaky hands, I undid a couple of buttons and parted his shirt to look at the wound. With horror now filling my eyes, I saw a large hole directly over his heart, which was still bleeding quite a lot. Wheatley looked down, probably wondering why I'd suddenly started probing around his upper chest. As he saw how bad the cut really was, his face turned pale and clammy, and I guessed he must have felt pretty queasy.

"Wheatley, why didn't you tell me you'd hurt your chest so badly?" I asked worriedly, as I did his shirt back up and compressed the material over the cut to try and slow the bleeding.

"I didn't know how serious it was, and I was scared you'd freak out. I'll be fine, I'm one hundred percent certain it hasn't damaged any of my vital organs, so we should just carry on."

I could see he was determined to not stop, so I left the subject alone and focused on trying to hold the blood in his chest with little luck. To be honest, we were both ridden with injuries, but we refused to acknowledge the pain due to fear that it may stop our progress of getting as far away from Aperture as possible.

"How much further could this field possibly go on for?" Wheatley whined, after hours of him trudging through it. "This yellow grass stuff is beginning to really irritate my arms! Also, no offence, but I don't know how much longer I can carry you for," he groaned quietly, and I could feel his pace slowing. I had to try and cheer him up.

"Did you know, this 'yellow grass' is actually called wheat?" I asked him, smiling.

"Wheat? What like _Wheat_ley?" he laughed when I nodded. "I have a type of grass named after me!"

I chuckled to myself, as I felt Wheatley gain more of a bounce to his step, and speed up.

"You know, I think I can see the end of the field just before the horizon," I told him, relieved. He smiled weakly. "Finally!"

**Wheatley POV - **we trekked for hours after escaping the field, but it was worth it. Chell had guided me, and we ended up in our secret field. I could feel all the pain temporarily lifting away from me as I was surrounded by a beautiful flock of rainbow coloured butterflies. I stepped onto the cushion-soft grass, ecstatic. Then I saw the river. My throat ached at the sight of it, and I gently deposited Chell on the bank before I began to gulp down the cold liquid. I didn't care that it probably wasn't clean, it quenched my thirst so worth any illness I may get later. I heard Chell doing the same, we were both on the verge of collapsing from dehydration. When we had finished drinking, Chell requested that we clean our wounds.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"They might be dirty, and I really don't want either of us to get infections," she said sincerely, rolling up her trouser leg and beginning to wash the gash with water. I admitted that our cuts did look dirty, and dunked my hands in the water, wiping them together gently despite the pain.

My chest was a different subject. Although the cut itself was clean, the blood and dirt on my top was a harbour for bacteria. I took it off, and began to clean it in the water. I looked down at my chest again, and saw the fist-sized hole. My pulse quickened, and I felt sick. Blood trickled out of it slowly, running in thick streams down my belly. The edges of the wound had ragged bits of my skin still attached, but when I touched them I nearly yelped from the pain. I couldn't take it any longer, and looked up at Chell. She was bravely inspecting the gash on her leg. Now she had cleaned away all the blood, I unfortunately could see a strip of white going through the middle of the large, deep slash. Bone. She looked away from it, and began to remove the bandage on her face. She cleaned the cuts on her face, but they weren't as bad as her leg. I turned back to my shirt, which was now a faintly stained, but still white shirt. I lifted it from the water, and wrung it out, then lay my shirt on the grass to dry.

I rose to my feet, and lifted Chell. I noticed that half of her t-shirt was covered in my blood, so this time I was careful to hold her away from me. I wanted to sit in the shade, so I took her with me and sat down, tucking my arm around her automatically. I leant back against a tree trunk with a loud thud, and the branches swung slightly. An apple fell, and landed on my lap. I glanced up, to find we had unknowingly sat under an apple tree. I laughed, and reached up from my sitting position with my long arms to pluck one from the nearest branch. Handing it to Chell, I took a big bite out of the one from my lap, suddenly ravenous. She copied me, and we giggled happily.

"Chell, do you remember when I asked you to say apple, and you jumped?" I asked, smirking. We both burst out laughing.

**AN/... Chapter 14 is now finished =) I hope you liked it! Sorry it was kinda short.. I think there will end up being about 18 chapters, but I'm not positive, thank you to everyone who reads New Light =) **


	15. Chapter 15

**AN/... Chapter 15, enjoy! =D**

**Chapter 15 - Hospitalized**

**Wheatley POV - **I wasn't aware that we had fallen asleep, until I awoke to being surrounded by a still sleeping Chell and brown apple cores. The sun was just rising, turning the horizon orange and red. My chest wound had finally stopped bleeding, but I was covered in dried blood. My arm was numb since Chell slept on it all night, and I pulled it out from underneath her to stretch. She awoke with a start, yawning and stretching.

"Ugh Wheatley, you're covered in blood," Chell said, sitting up slowly as to not jolt her leg.

"It's fine," I called back to her as I jogged over and grabbed my now dry shirt from the grass pulling it on. "There, blood gone!"

"We really need to get to a hospital," Chell sighed. "How bad does it hurt?"

"Not at all!" I lied. I didn't want to go to a hospital. Humans always say they're bad. Stabbing you with needles, cutting you open, pouring other people's blood into you, and those were just a few. I didn't feel the need to be tortured, and I'm sure Chell didn't know what she was letting herself in for.

"Wheatley, we really do need to go to a hospital! I'm not going to argue with you!" she shouted, getting slightly angry.

"Well I'm the one who does the walking, so we go where I want!" I replied, also feeling angry.

"You'll die without help!"

"I'll take the less painful option, thanks. I didn't get us out of there alive, just to get us killed in a hospital!"

"Is that what you're afraid of? I promise, you won't die there! They'll help you, not harm you!"

"Rrnngg! Just leave it okay?" I snarled as I picked up Chell and began to leave in the vague direction of home. I wasn't going to go to a hospital, ever. Chell sighed, and realised it was pointless trying to convince me.

A good hour long walk, and finally we found the familiar path that led home. I never thought I'd be so happy to see the big grey human catwalks and management rails again. My hands were really hurting, and so was my chest, so I flipped Chell onto my back instead. She didn't protest. I looked down at my hands, and immediately regretted it. They were both covered by a long ragged slash going from between my thumb and index finger to the very furthest bottom corner of my palm. Red, scratchy, shiny skin covered the border of the wounds, making them look even bloodier than they were. Walking had opened my chest again, and a large blood blotch was forming on my previously almost-white shirt. With a roll of my eyes, I picked up the pace, now only several streets away from our destination. I couldn't wait to get home. I looked up, to see the only pedestrian on the entire street frowning at us. She began to make her way over, and I tried to back away. Unfortunately, the stranger reached us first.

"Oh my God! What happened to you both? Look, your chest is bleeding! And both of you are covered in blood!" she caught sight of my hands, and grabbed them for inspection. "And your hands! You look like you've been playing tug of war with a knife! Hang on, I'll call an ambulance for you both!"

"No no no no! It's fine!" I protested, but the nosy old twit was already on the phone to the emergency services. I gave up with a sigh, moved Chell so I could cradle her against my front again, and sat on the wall like a stubborn child. All too soon I could hear and then see the sirens. For a second, I hoped they would drive past us, but the woman waved them down and the ambulance pulled to a stop against the curb.

Two men dressed in luminous yellow and green leapt out of the back, carrying a stretcher. Giving them an annoyed look, I gently placed Chell onto their strange mobile bed. They lifted her into the vehicle, then gestured for me to climb on board. I shook my head violently.

"Huh? No way! I'm not hurt that badly, go without me. I just want to go home, seriously!"

"Sir, I am going to have to insist that you come to the hospital. You are sustaining possibly fatal injuries, and if they aren't, then I'm sure that your girlfriend would appreciate the company anyway." _Twisted freaks, bringing my Chell into this, _I thought angrily, climbing into the back of the ambulance and assuming position next to her. It felt so strange to not be carrying her after getting used to it for such a long time. I settled for her hand, and gave the green men filthy looks. With a whir and a shudder, the ambulance zoomed away, and I nearly toppled over. This was the first time I'd been in an ambulance, and I didn't like it. The sirens were unbearably loud, and I had no idea why they were still going off. Haven't these people ever heard of peace and quiet?

"Can I ask what your names are?" one of the green men asked me.

"I'm Wheatley. She's Chell." I said with a slight hint of resentment in my voice. I hoped the stupid ambulance staff heard it.

"Surnames?" he asked, the nosy moron.

"I don't know! My name is Wheatley, and that's it! Chell, do you have a _surname_?" I asked, flinging my hands in the air with frustration. She shook her head firmly.

"Everybody has a surname!" cried the persistent questioner.

"That's where you are wrong, because we don't," I replied, turning away from him and abruptly ending the conversation. By peering across the crowded room, I could clearly see him write _'mentally unstable' _on our patient report. I _'accidentally' _kicked the man's chair hard, and it teetered on the verge of toppling before retuning to the floor.

The ambulance journey was painfully long, but eventually we pulled to a stop, and I could leave the bloody thing. I leapt out of the back, making my chest bleed even more heavily. My shirt was almost completely red now. I resisted the urge to flee, purely based on the fact that Chell was being wheeled into the hospital on her little mobile bed. I ran after her, then had to jog to stay beside her. I grabbed her hand, and squeezed it tightly. In truth, I was scared. The men in luminous jackets began frantically talking to the secretary, and she kept looking at my chest worriedly. Was it really that bad? Before very long, Chell and I were on the move again, quickly approaching the different wards. I was offered a wheelchair, and I promptly declined it. Some of the rooms had a wall of glass, so they looked like observation rooms. Humans were lined up at these, and watching whatever was happening inside with gleeful faces. We weren't heading for an observation room though, we sped past, and continued, delving deeper and deeper into the horrible place. I could now make out hysterical crying, desperate chatter, and strange mechanical noises like beeps. Eerie and haunting atmospheres surrounded me, enveloping and suffocating me like neurotoxin. Chell's bed turned sharply, and crashed through double doors into a small room. It had just two beds, both with wheels on the bottom, and two machines with a monitor. A tall stand stood next to each bed, and had some form of transparent plastic bag attached. My hand managed to form an even tighter grip on Chell, I was dreading when I'd have to let go. I bent over, and nuzzled Chell's nose with my own, then gently touched her lips.

"You need to let go of her hand now, sir," said a strange woman who had just sneaked up on us. She was wearing a long white coat, and had a strange wire thing around her neck. _She must be a scientist, _I thought with disgust. I let go, but didn't move away from Chell.

"Please can you step aside, sir." her voice had grown more tenacious. She agilely dodged around me, and gently shoved me out of the way. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the extremely large syringe and needle she was manning until it had been shoved into Chell's arm with more force than I thought was necessary. She filled it with more liquid and a different needle, then turned towards me.

"No way! You're not touching me with that thing!" I shouted, backing away. At some point, the luminous jacket men had left, so it was just me and the scientist. For some unknown reason, Chell had fallen asleep, or she was playing dead, in which case I don't blame her. I looked around, and vaulted over the bed with a large amount of space to spare. That was another advantage of being abnormally tall.

"Stay still please!" cried the woman, reminding me of when I said that to Chell in Aperture. At the time I was trying to crush her with a mashy spike plate, which only made me back away from the needle bearing woman more. I was now trapped against the wall, and I covered my eyes with my large hands, too scared to even peek. Within several seconds I felt the metal being pushed into my forearm, the stinging sensation I felt when the liquid entered my arm, and the queasiness I felt when it had left my skin.

"You might want to lie or sit on a bed, otherwise you'll have a long fall," the cruel woman chuckled. I heaved myself onto the furthest bed from her, my every movement feeling slow and heavy all of a sudden. My eyelids felt like they had weights attached to them, and I placed my head on the pillow reluctantly. The horrible woman had drugged me, and any time now I was going to have to fall asleep. I wondered if I'd wake up again.

I did wake again, but I felt like a very long time had passed me by. All my muscles ached, and I still felt drowsy. When I tried to sit up, I found myself strapped down. I yelped with fear at being confined, and turned my head on one side. Chell wasn't strapped into her bed. She had different clothes on though, a green hospital gown thing. From the feel of things, I was wearing one too. Her leg was raised in the air by some strange rope thing, and was covered in thick white plaster, from above her knee to her foot. She had bandages on her forehead and cheek, and another one around her middle, by the looks of the strange bump around her rib cage which was visible through her clothes. She was staring at me too, and we smiled at each other.

"Love you," I mouthed to her, and she returned the gesture.

Seeing Chell only made me want to break free of the restraints even more, and I began to wiggle my arms upwards, trying to get my hands in a position where I could undo the clasps.

"Gah!" I cried, when I felt my chest bleeding again, the sticky dampness spreading quickly across my chest and stomach.

"Wheatley! You've already pulled your stitches out! The restraints are to keep you from moving and damaging your chest even more! Hang on, I'll get a nurse in here, you'll have to have them done again," Chell moaned with a slightly sympathetic edge aimed at me, and pressed a red button next to her bed. Within several minutes a nurse came in, and, seeing my blood covered chest, brought in another one of them scientist people. This one was a man, and not as rude as the woman. He just came in, injected me with more drugs and an apology, and stood back as I was dragged back under.

**Chell POV - **Wheatley's injuries were more fatal than mine. He had lost in unbelievable amount of blood, and a long tube went from the drip bag to his upturned wrist, filled with thick scarlet liquid. His chest had been stitched up again, needing eleven stitches. Large bandages covered his hands, which also both needed stitches. A bandage covered the cut on his cheek from the glass, and the other various cuts he had picked up from whatever down there were also bandaged. He hadn't broken any bones at least. Wheatley kept trying to resist the restraints, so had to be drugged regularly to keep him unconscious. He looked like a small child in his sleep, all the frowns and dimples ironed out, leaving just his smooth, slightly tanned skin.

Unfortunately, this left me alone to have to explain how we gained all these serious injuries. A cover story that explained all our injuries was very hard to come by. Eventually, I managed to convince them that we had been walking along a cliff, and both fell down when a rock beneath us crumbled. We fell onto a ledge several meters below, and cut ourselves on the sharp rocks we encountered during the fall and upon landing. It then took us a few days to find a way to get back up, and neither of us could call for help since our mobiles were at home. Nobody had walked as far as we had, so we didn't get any help that way. I couldn't believe my ears when they bought my awful story, and I made a mental note to tell Wheatley what to say if anyone asked how we got injured and trapped for days. It was a relief when the doctors and nurses stopped fussing and asking questions, and left us alone. I begged the kindest of our nurses to allow Wheatley to wake up, promising that I'd stop him from resist tying to move. And prevent him I would, I wanted someone to chat to in this lonely place. Also, I missed Wheatley's constant chattering, it amused and interested me.

As soon as Wheatley opened his eyes, I told him to not try to escape. Luckily, he did listen to me, and settled for turning his head to watch me.

"If anyone asks, we both fell a few meters off a cliff onto a ledge, and it took us several days to manage to escape," I hissed at him, annoyed that I had to make up a cover story alone.

"Er... Okay?" Wheatley agreed, slightly confused but not wanting to ask.

"How much longer do we have to stay here for?" he moaned, tapping his feet against the edge of his bed impatiently.

"Only a week, then we can go home," I promised him with a smile, trying to match his optimism, since it was absent at the moment.

"Grrr! I hate this place! Remind me to never get injured again!"

"Will do," I giggled helplessly.

"Yeah yeah, very funny." he chuckled gently anyway.

"Apparently if you don't keep moving, you can have your restraints off in two days, so you'd better not try anything funny!"

"Two whole days?" he groaned loudly.

"Yes, unless you try and get out, in which case it'll be till we're allowed to leave," I warned him.

"Fine."

For the rest of the day we just chatted about everything but our current situation, not wanting to remind each other. The conversation had us both crying with laughter by the end of the day, and we both fell asleep late at night reasonably happy. At least we would always be together when we were faced with trouble or pain.

**AN/... Chapter 15 complete! When I've finished New Light, I have decided to do a sequel, so keep your eyes peeled for that if you're interested =) thank you for the reviews =D**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN/... Chapter 16, and it involves one of my favourite characters =D**

**Chapter 16 - Surprise Visitor**

**Wheatley POV - **My chest ached, my head ached, my arms ached, and I couldn't tell anyone because I'd just get knocked out again. All I could do was close my eyes, basking in misery and pain. However, when I wished that something would come and cheer me up, I honestly didn't think it would come true. Being told that I had a visitor shocked me, because nobody liked me here, except Chell. Who would visit me! A complete stranger entered the room, and stood by my bedside, looking down on me with a grin.

His brown hair was messy and ruffled, with a cowboy hat perched precariously on top. Bright green eyes swerved around the room, taking it in. The man looked in his mid-twenties, and was wearing jeans with a tight black t-shirt. In truth, he looked more strange than me. But at least he was average height.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously, having absolutely no idea.

"I'm Rick the Adventure Sphere, although I'm not really a sphere anymore," he chuckled, and tipped his hat at Chell. "Hi pretty lady." Chell smiled at Rick and said, "Long time no see,"

_Long time no see? What did that even mean? Why is she suddenly just talking to Rick, she didn't talk to me straight away, and I was her best friend! _Jealousy filled me, even though I knew it was irrational. I glared at Rick, fuming with anger.

"Anyway, hey Wheatley! I came to visit you, to say well done shutting down GLaDOS and all that!"

"Wait, what? I didn't shut her down, just ripped some of the wires on her," I replied, forgetting my jealousy. It left as suddenly as it appeared.

"Exactly. You ripped her charging wire, she's shut down till someone wakes her up, and I don't think anyone will do that again!"

"Right, okay then. So who turned you into a human?" I asked curiously, slightly proud that I had managed to disable the evil super computer that ruined and took so many lives.

"To be honest, no idea. It's all a kinda shady memory. I just remember being picked up, and plugged into a machine, then pain, collapsing, and waking up alone in a room as a human. Oh yeah and there was a note and some clothes on the desk, telling me to put them on and get the hell outta Aperture. If your interested, it also said that Space, Fact and Maintenance escaped," Rick explained, looking confused and lost.

"Huh, that's strange," I thought aloud.

"Nah, it's nothing I can't handle!" he began to look around the hospital ward, poking my drip bag, knocking on Chell's cast, and just generally making a nuisance of himself.

"What's the situation? Mission untie the captive," Rick suddenly exclaimed, beginning to remove my restraints. I laughed happily, no more bloody straps holding me down! With a stretch and a sigh, I sat up, giving Rick a hug. He returned it briefly, before pulling away and pretending it never occurred.

"Thanks man!" I cried, accepting his hi-5 with a discreet wince.

"No problem, I was designed for danger and adventures," Rick nodded smugly, leaning on one of the monitors. It slipped out from underneath him, crashing into the wall loudly and flinging the surprised hero to the floor with a bump. He stood up quickly, his dignity hurt more than his behind, and pulled the monitor back into place, revealing the new dent in the wall.

"I meant to do that," he muttered, giving the screen a wide berth as if it was about to shoot him. Suppressing a laugh, I smiled at him sympathetically, and made room for him to perch on the side of my bed. He obeyed immediately, plonking himself onto the mattress with a sigh.

"Please give me the 911 on being human, I have no idea what I'm doing," he practically begged, the brave, arrogant Rick making way for the clueless, desperate one.

"Okay, well its a bit strange, so brace yourself. You have to eat food three times a day, in the morning, at midday and in the evening. You have to drink liquid when your throat feels dry, and as humans we have water immunity. Clean yourself in a shower once a day. Don't wear clothes in the shower, but wear clothes for everything else. Change your clothes for different events, have sleeping clothes and daytime clothes. Go into sleep mode every night, for the whole night. Erm... I think that's about it, oh yeah get a house, and don't burn it down!" I added at the end, just for a personal touch.

"Whoa, that's a lot to keep track of. How do you both manage?" he groaned, obviously not very open minded about human life.

"As a human, you have a natural instincts, just follow them and you'll be fine," I explained kindly, trying to be at least remotely helpful to my friend.

"I see," he muttered, deep in thought.

"Human life is just another adventure, you can take it one handed!" I encouraged him, awakening my optimistic side.

"Yeah! Yeah I can take it down! I am a coiled spring right now. Tension and power. Just... I'm a muscle. Like a big arm muscle, punching through a brick wall, and it's hitting the wall so hard the arm is catching on fire. Ohhh yeah!"

I laughed, and Chell joined in. After looking confused for a moment, Rick tried to copy us, making us laugh harder.

"Laughing means you find something funny, we were laughing," I explained to Rick, trying not to burst into fits of giggles. Rick laughed softly, then stopped abruptly.

"That'll do, that's close enough."

Rick looked over at the door quickly, hearing something I'd missed.

"I gotta go, the men in white coats are coming! They'll see the dent! I mean, I should get going, I don't want to fight in front of your pretty lady. In fact, I think one of the men in white coats is actually a woman, and I don't fight women. See you around Wheatley," Rick babbled quickly, so I could only just take in what he was saying. He stood up, grinned at me, tipped his hat to Chell, and left the room. I lay back down, pretending I was still restrained. One of the male scientists entered our room, and said, "We have decided that you may leave this hospital tomorrow, and return home. But first we have to remove your stitches, Wheatley. The wounds can heal by themselves now."

He approached with a familiar needle, and I surrendered my arm, closing my eyes and allowing the drugs to pull me into the murky blackness with thoughts of home swirling around my head.

**AN/... I hope you liked that, even though it was kinda short =/ Only a couple of chapters left so please review! =)**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN/... Thanks for all the reviews, I find them really motivational and they just make my day =) I know I say this every time but enjoy! **

**Chapter 17 - Home Is Where The House Is**

**Chell POV - **I had been excited to go home for the whole morning, but not as much as Wheatley. He had been pacing up and down our ward constantly, complaining and moaning and nearly jumping out of the ground floor window to make a break for it. He was getting rather annoying.

"Wheatley just sit down," I told him for the hundredth time today. Also for the hundredth time today, Wheatley ignored me, and kept pacing. _Someone's desperate to get out of here, _I thought with a surly tone.

My broken leg had been taken out of its harness, and lay flat on the bed. I had been given crutches, and they leaned against the wall beside me. The doctor had just gone to get our clothes, then we could leave. I wished Wheatley would stop being so impatient.

"I want to go home already! How long does it take to grab a pile of clothes and come back here? They can forget the clothes, I'd rather buy new ones than stick around this dump!" Wheatley mumbled angrily, practically tearing his hair out.

"Please calm down Wheatley, just stop pacing and the time will pass faster," I tried to sound comforting, but it came out slightly patronising. I hoped he didn't notice. I don't think he did, because the doctor had just come through holding all our clothes, and Wheatley was to busy being rude and snatching them away to have possibly been listening to me. I sighed, frustrated, and reached up for my clothes. Wheatley handed them to me, then looked around the room. When he realised there weren't any side rooms to get changed in, he just did it right in the middle of the room.

I rolled my eyes and looked away. I suppose somebody who used to be a core wasn't bothered about stripping in public. I had to get dressed whilst sitting on my bed, due to the huge cast that covered my right leg from foot to thigh. However, there was an issue when I began to pull my tight-legged skinny jeans over the plaster. I was tugging with all my might, but still couldn't get the material to slide over my leg. Since Wheatley had finished dressing long before me, he joined in yanking at the trousers.

"Why have your trousers shrunk?" he asked.

"What are you going on about Wheatley? My trousers haven't shrunk, I've got a cast on now!" I laughed at his sudden stupidity.

"ohh yeah, sorry, dumb moment," he grinned at me, and eventually he managed to work the jeans up to my waist. With a satisfied smile, Wheatley grabbed my crutches and helped me to stand up. I leant against him whilst I positioned them, then hopped towards the door with Wheatley leading the way.

Before we had even reached the car park, he decided that my hobbling was far to slow for his long strides, and scooped me up in his arms like old times. I didn't protest, Wheatley was warm, and he made me feel safe and happy. He looked down into my eyes with his gorgeous blue ones, making my heart ooze and melt like chocolate exposed to a radiator. I ignored the fact that he had bandages covering his cheek and chest and hands, focusing on the Wheatley I loved the most, the carefree one who wasn't trapped in Aperture or stubbornly being treated in hospital.

"I love you," I told him, resting my cheek which wasn't wounded on his shoulder.

"I love you too," he replied softly, then snapped back up to the road with a grin.

"We're going ho-ome," he dragged it out into two long excited syllables and began to walk to the opposite side of the village, where our house is situated. I have never seen him so eager to get somewhere, and it was kind of funny.

With Wheatley's long strides and fast pace, we reached our house in no time at all. The familiar curtains hanging in the windows and the same brick walls were a comforting sight, even though when we tried our door, it was still unlocked from the day we went back to _That Place_. He set me down in the hallway, and I hobbled into the front room to see if anything had been burgled. It was unlikely around here, but I felt safer after checking. When I had confirmed that nothing was misplaced or absent, I collapsed onto the sofa, wondering how I was going to do things round the house with my leg. I'll have to sort of balance whilst cooking, cleaning might prove to be a catastrophe and it will take me an age to climb the stairs. Everything else shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Wheatley suddenly came charging down the steps, it sounded like he was clearing at least three at a time, and skidded to a stop in front of me. He was grinning, and his hair was dripping water onto his newly put on, clean clothes. He had taken off his cheek bandage and hand bandages, and I prayed he was still wearing the chest one. Wheatley pointed to himself happily. "Look, no blood!"

"I can't believe the first thing you did was have a shower, when you don't even like them!" I laughed. "Anyway, I'm gonna go have one now, so you can amuse yourself for a while,"

"Do you... Err... Need help... Erm..." Wheatley looked down, embarrassed, and mimed having a shower with a broken leg. His miming was hilarious, and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Nah, it's okay thanks, I can manage,"

"Cool, I'm just gonna hang down here then," he sat down on the sofa, still looking a bit red. I hobbled out of the room, preparing myself to tackle the stairs.

**Wheatey POV - **I grabbed my towel from the banister, and began drying my hair. Water droplets sprayed everywhere, and I think I probably resembled a dog. Once my hair was reasonably dry, I crossed the room to stand in front of the mirror. It would seem I have picked up the human instinct to be obsessed with styling your hair. I attacked it with a comb, then brushed my fringe in the right direction. I ruffled it slightly, then began to wander aimlessly around the house. It was actually a bit boring without Chell. Eventually, I turned to my source of entertainment I discovered when I lived alone, TV.

I couldn't help but get engrossed in the odd little box, kicking my feet up onto the sofa and leaning forwards slightly with anticipation. I wanted to open it to look if it has the same set up as my monitors used to, but somehow I don't think Chell would appreciate two halves of a broken TV. I settled for just watching the screen like a normal person, chuckling as people had random arguments with no value at all. _They wouldn't survive Aperture if they trained for a million years, _I thought arrogantly, proud that Chell and I still had our long lives ahead. A life free of _That Place_. A life with just us, and maybe occasionally Rick, because he really wasn't as bad as he first seemed, although the pretty lady stuff would have to stop. A life where we could just be normal humans, doing normal human things.

I shook myself out of my daydream, and went back to watching the TV. Two humans, a girl and a boy, were holding hands together. I gathered they were a couple.

"Do you wanna go out some time, with me?" asked the boy as he looked into the girls eyes. She agreed, and the show fast forwarded to the girl and boy acting all romantic in a restaurant.

"Cute," I muttered aloud, switching channels. Life as a human can commence when I catch up with all their strange customs. Well, I could add going out together to the list of things humans did. My thoughts suddenly clicked to Chell. _Did she have a grasp on all human customs? And if so, did she think I was abnormal because I hadn't? _I wondered if she ever went on a... What were they called?... A date. The thought of Chell going on a date made me instantly jealous, so I tossed that line of thought away in disgust. _Of course she hasn't, she doesn't have any other male friends!_ I turned off the TV, annoyed, and lay back down on the sofa. My eyes drooped, and I fell asleep quickly.

Chell found me in that position an hour later. The noise of the living room door opening awoke me with a start.

"Gah!" I cried, as I rolled off the sofa and landed in an uncoordinated heap on the rug. When I'd untangled my legs and arms from cushions, I scrambled to my feet hastily, and looked at the door to see who the intruder was. Chell stood in the now open doorway, smiling at me. She was wearing a casual skirt and plain t-shirt, obviously preferring to not have to spend ten minutes yanking on a pair of jeans. Still, she looked beautiful. Her hair was tied up, and it looked a deep chocolaty brown in the light. I ran my fingers through my hair, and grinned.

"Do I look okay? I feel stupid," Chell asked me, going slightly red from the self consciousness.

"You look nice... More than nice... Erm... Amazing, I think is the word I was looking for," I stumbled, turned to mush by the beautiful girl who stood before me. "And, on that note... I, well I was wondering... Would you like to go out somewhere... With me?" I asked nervously, shifting from one foot to the other and looking down at the floor.

"Wheatley, I'd love to," she grinned back at me, and I sighed with relief.

That is how, that evening, we were sitting opposite each other at a small restaurant in the centre of the village, eating the first good food we've had the opportunity to eat in over a week, and chatting like nothing had ever happened. I had re-styled my hair for the occasion, and Chell had removed her facial bandages. I also noticed her wearing the necklace I picked for her all that time ago. Although it couldn't have been any longer than two weeks ago, it felt like years had passed since then.

"This," I suddenly stated to Chell with a 'lopsided grin' as she called it earlier, "This is the start of our life together."

**AN/... Argh, I've finished the second to last chapter =O, only one more to go! Please review, I'm tryna get to 50 haha, also, sorry to advertise but my best friend has written a fanfic called 'A Little Blue Dot' and I was wondering if you could maybe check it out? It's a portal 2 fanfic, with Chelley and action and Aperture and whatever else you New Light fans enjoy ;-) the author is 'CompanionCube1410'. Thank you, and as I can't repeat enough, you're all amazing!**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN/... It's the last chapter guys! I'm hoping this one will make you laugh, 'cause Rick and Wheatley are little rebels in it XD. So, for the final time of this story, enjoy! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! **

**Chapter 18 - Work, Phone Calls and Indoor Baseball**

**Chell POV - **Six months. It had been six whole months since Aperture. Yesterday we had to return to the hospital to remove my cast, and Wheatley's chest needed a check up. It was all behind us now, nothing was left to serve as a memory. All our bandages and the cast had gone, all injuries healed. Not even do much as a scar was left behind. I was back at work, and Wheatley had found a hobby. We discovered he has quite a lot of hidden talent in playing guitar, so he amuses himself with that when I'm working. It was strange, he couldn't succeed in a simple task like cooking, but when it came to a more complex task like learning a musical instrument, he excelled at it.

Wheatley also indulged himself in his mobile a lot now, and was constantly calling me to see if I was okay when I'm at work. Sweet as he is, he's as persistent as a stalker sometimes. If I turn my phone off so I don't get told off, as soon as I open the door upon returning home he leaps on me, managing to convince himself that I had died or something melodramatic. I guess he was still traumatised by the events I so often try to forget.

Rick managed to get bags of money off of Fact, (although how Fact suddenly got so rich I don't know) and decided to move into our street. Him and Wheatley had become really close friends, and Rick and I got on pretty well too - most of the time. The others lived in the next town along, and rarely visited. With our help, Rick had finally got a grasp on human life, and was actually really enjoying it. Although for him, having fun meant going on adventures, so doing any form of dangerous activity he finds, from climbing trees to going wind-surfing, he's done it all. Rick decided that one day he was going to take us on a surprise day trip, and I really dreaded what life-threatening activity he would come up with. With a shudder, I pushed that thought of my mind. I'd take it when the day came and not a minute earlier.

"Hey, Chell, wake up!" I suddenly heard Melanie say. My pupils dilated, and I was back in the nursery, sitting in the back room eating lunch during the shift change.

"Were you daydreaming about your boyfriend again?" she squealed like a young teenager. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, although I couldn't help but smile smugly.

"Ha! You were, weren't you!"

"Not really!" I protested, giving her a playful shove. Unfortunately, Wheatley didn't help my case, because my phone started ringing, and we both knew it would be him. I answered on the second ring with a sigh.

"Hello?" I asked, even though I knew it would be him.

"Hi, Chell, are you okay?" he asked in a rush. I laughed.

"Yes, Wheatley I'm fine."

"That's good I was worri-"

***CRASH***

"Wheatley, what was that?" I asked firmly. He better have not let Rick in again. Last time he broke half of our plates trying to juggle them to show off to Wheatley.

"I... Erm... It was..." he sighed, giving in. "It was Rick, look I gotta go!"

"Okay bye, love y-" I heard the dial tone, and realised Wheatley had hung up. He never did that, Rick must have done something pretty bad. I will kill Rick personally when I got home.

"What was that crash?" Melanie asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"God knows, Wheatley's let Rick in the house again," I complained.

"Again? I hope the house is still standing when you get home!"

"Yeah, so do I..." I muttered, feeling angry and worried all rolled into one.

**Wheatley POV - **

"You idiot! Why did you hit the ball that far?" I yelled at Rick, glancing over at the baseball shaped hole in the window.

"You should have caught it! That's why you're the one wearing this!" he grabbed my hand, which was carrying a baseball mitt.

"Yeah, well you should have hit the ball in a straight line! I mean, who tries to flip the bat before hitting the ball anyway? You're obviously going to hit it wonky! Also, it was you're idea to play indoor baseball in the first place!"

"Whatever four eyes!" Rick retreated to one of his favourite insults for me. Luckily, I didn't find it offensive. Our arguments always resolved themselves as quickly as they began.

"Truce?" I proposed, holding out my baseball-gloved hand.

"Yeah, okay," he shook it. "We gotta hide this from Chell."

"Hide what from Chell?" Chell suddenly materialised in the front room doorway.

"Gah!" I grabbed Rick's baseball bat and my mitt, and dropped them on the floor, trying to slide them under the sofa unnoticed.

"What have you both done this time?" I swear Chell looked like she was going to pounce and kill us any second now.

"We were playing indoor baseball, and the ball went to far and smashed the window... But it's a tiny little hole! You can barely notice it!" Chell went to inspect the crime scene. Ragged bits of glass all pointed inwards on a not-so-small hole. It was about the size of a large apple, and very, very noticeable.

"You. Were. Playing. Indoor. Baseball. In. My. Front. Room." she said it in a slow, menacing voice. _Great, she was fuming, thanks a lot Rick, _I thought sarcastically, nudging him hard in the ribs as a warning.

"Well, it's a safety hazard having a window in the front room anyway, I mean, anyone could break it!" I rushed, generating random and false excuses. Rick nodded next to me like a bobble-head.

"No, only you two could find a way to break it! Look, I'm going out, I want it tidied by the time I get home!" I watched worriedly as Chell stormed out of the house. As soon as the door shut, Rick let out a long, relieved sigh. This caused me to turn on him again, for some unknown reason.

"Chell's gonna hate me now!" I whined loudly.

"Ah, shut up! Don't blame your woman problems on me, just 'cause you're not a player!"

"Hah! I've kept my girlfriend longer than you kept yours! Yours left you after two days!"

Rick snorted. "I dumped her, she was frigid,"

"Uh-huh, sure you did," I winked at him, speaking in my most sarcastic voice. "We'd better get tidying, don't wanna have to face wrath of Chell two times in one day,"

"I'll fix the window, can you go put my baseball gear back in my house?"

"Sure," I replied calmly, fishing the spare key to Rick's house out of my pocket. He gave one to me, thinking it was likely he would lose his own one some day.

I ran into the back garden to grab the baseball, then scooped the bat and mitt out from under the sofa. With a grin and wave to Rick, I left, and walked three houses to the right of ours. The flowers in his front garden had been crushed when we tried skateboarding, and there was a dent in his front door from when I kicked a football to hard. We laughed about these casualties usually, unless Chell was going to get mad about it. Unlocking the door with one sharp twist of the key, I stepped inside the dark house. All the curtains stayed pulled twenty-four seven, and I nearly tripped over a surfboard in the dim light. I had no idea why Rick invested in one, there was no possible way he could catch a wave in these waters. In fact, Rick had invested in an abnormal amount of sports equipment. I could see footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, windsurfing kites, cricket bats, and God knows what else. I chucked the baseball stuff in the only clutter-free area in the room, then leapt over a mini-snooker table on my way out. I fiddled with the door, trying to get the door to lock securely, then jogged back home, curious if Rick really could fix the window. I hoped he could.

"It's me!" I called to Rick, so I didn't startle him, as I entered my house again.

"Look at that, look at that!" Rick stood back from the window, calling for me proudly.

"Wow! Gimme five mate!" we slapped each others hands, as I stared at the fixed window. You could hardly tell it was broken. All the glass was put back in the correct place, like a puzzle, and was stuck in place with tape.

"That's awesome!" I told the now smugly grinning Rick.

"I know. See, I'm designed for adventures! Built to face danger and problems around every corner!"

"Never doubted you for a minute, now let's do something safe for the rest of today, like watch TV?" Rick agreed, and we both started shouting at the stupid people who couldn't do anything on the screen in front of us.

**Chell POV - **I dreaded what their tidying was, but at least I had calmed down, for now. I could hear them shouting at the TV from the front garden, so I entered the house with crossed fingers. As I thought, they were sprawled across the sofa, engrossed in the TV. I looked over at the window, and nearly screamed. The glass was badly placed in the hole, with a massive, neon red cross of duct tape trying to cover it.

"Heya," Wheatley said casually to me, as if nothing ever happened. Rick looked up, and grinned.

"You can hardly tell the window was ever broken, right?" I didn't answer that, for fear I'd discover I had a skill for throwing knives at annoying ex-adventure spheres in a moment of blind anger. Wheatley looked at my face, then at Rick.

"Maybe you should go now, I'll see you tomorrow at yours," Wheatley said hastily, gauging my every eye flicker carefully for Rick's own safety. I stepped aside for him as he left, and sank onto the sofa next to Wheatley. He tucked me into a hug, realising I was distressed. I pulled away, and smiled at him, instantly calmed by his presence.

"Next time you want to play sports indoors, do it at Rick's house."

Wheatley laughed, and pulled me back into a hug. "Will do luv."

I let him off lightly today, because I didn't have the energy to be mad at him. I loved him too much, and any trouble he caused failed to make me mad for long. I breathed into his shirt, in love with the strange earthy smell Wheatley always adorned.

"Can we get a pizza and watch a film tonight?" Wheatley asked me as it neared dinner time. _Whoa, was it already the evening? Time went so fast when I was with him, even though I wanted it to go slower._

"Yeah, sure. I didn't know what to cook tonight anyway if I'm honest," I smiled, grabbing the phone. "You pick a film." I sank into the sofa as Wheatley stood, and I struggled to sit in the warmth he left behind. By the time Wheatley finally decided what film he wanted to watch, eventually picking his favourite comedy-romance, the pizza had arrived. I brought it in, and placed it on the coffee table.

The film started to play, and we lolled on the sofa sluggishly, eating pepperoni pizza and cuddling against each other cheerfully. Despite the broken window and the fact that Rick was probably going to break more of my furniture in the near future, I could not be more fulfilled. I had Wheatley, and that was all I would ever need to find happiness.

**Wheatley POV - **when I had managed to empty the pizza box, since Chell had a mouse-sized stomach and I ate like a pig, I began to stroke Chell's hair affectionately. It was so soft and beautiful, just like everything about Chell. She lay down, head resting on my lap, so I wrapped my arm around her instead. Just like that, we lay together, watching the film, completely at bliss. Every now and again, we would laugh at the film, or comment on how silly the actor was, but other than that we stayed peacefully silent, admiring the film and company. All too soon the credits began to play, and I switched the DVD player off with a sigh. It was late, and we both yawned simultaneously. I gently nudged Chell off my lap, and stood up to place the pizza box in the bin and the DVD back on the shelf. When I'd finished, I held out my hand for Chell, and we went upstairs to bed.

I knew the drill, I grabbed my 'pyjamas', and got changed in the bathroom, then knocked on the bedroom door before entering and chucked my washing in the wash basket for Chell to clean at some point. This time when I came into our bedroom, Chell was already curled up on the bed. I climbed under the warm duvet next to her, and she snuggled into me. My arms locked around her body, and I nuzzled her hair.

"I love you," I told her, kissing her forehead.

"I love you too," she replied, rocking into my kiss.

"Night luv," I whispered into her ear, as she fell asleep with a contented sigh.

That night I dreamt of Chell. For the first time in my life, I had a good dream. The best thing was, my dream was just a repeat of my new found reality, Chell and I, together for the rest of our lives. That was the night I learnt something new. Good dreams weren't a myth, but they only occurred if you had found true happiness in something, or in my case, someone. I slipped my hand into Chell's, buried my face into her hair and fell back to sleep. This was when I realised, no matter how many bad things happened, there are always the good times, the amazing moments you will never forget that weigh the bad times out. Life was a good dream, and mine was far from over.

**AN/... *cries* New Light is finished! That was it guys! So, I'll make a start on the sequel right away, keep an eye out for it! It will probably be called 'New Life' and I hope you will all read it! Thank you sooo much to everyone who read New Light, to everyone who is reading this now, and to everyone who supports me! You are all the best!**


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